Alive Again
by Lilliana Dearing
Summary: What happens when an unexpected fall out from the Witch Wars shows up on Eric's doorstep? *Please Review even if you hate it just tell me what you think.*
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I lay on the hard lumpy bed of my hotel room; insomnia keeps me from drifting off into the dreamless sleep that was all too common for me. I close my eyes trying to drift off again and a familiar face flashed across my vision. More than anything I wanted to speak, heck glimpse, my Eric; long lost to me over time. It had been so long sense I had seen him, every fiber of my being drove me towards him. I drifted off into restless sleep.

I wake from a nightmare that quickly slips away leaving no trace of the content behind. All that was left was a sense of uneasiness of not knowing where I was or what I was doing there. I pushed the uneasy dreams away, I looked over at the clock on my bedside table, it was 1:30 in the morning. I had managed a whole half hour of sleep.

Resigned to another night without sleep I go out into the chilly night to wander the streets and try and think until I wore myself out. Why do I have naggings at my memory, of a time where my life was different? The harder I try to grasp at the memories the faster they slip away. I dream, of a man, my man, my big blond Viking, is always the focus of my dreams and memories. Where is he?

I no memories of a time before a year ago. I was drawn here, for someone's own selfish purposes. I know within the depths of my soul that my being here will change the life of my blond Viking man. I knew that he was unaware of my presence here. I knew that as soon as we were together big things were going to occur. Some of them good and some bad, I tried to fight against the impulse to see him, to reconnect with him. I just could not do that. I loved him and he was the only thing that could fill in all those blank spots I had in my Swiss cheese brain.

I looked up and was staring at a large brick building with Red blinking neon. The sign read Fangtasia. He was here, oh good gods, my absent minded walking had led me right to him. Without thinking I crossed the street and went into the bar. I slide into a secluded booth in the back of the bar. My knee was bouncing in nervous anticipation of seeing him. I knew any moment I would see him, soon so soon. Would he have all the answers that I needed?

I could feel him approaching, I turned my head to the right and there he was. He strode across the room a man with a clear purpose, his blond hair billowing behind him, this man I once loved and loved me in return.

My heart skips a beat. I stand to approach him to throw myself into his arms. He had stopped he was close now and I could see him looking down at a pretty little blonde girl. They were having an animated discussion about something but what I notice is the girl looking up at him with love in her heart. She loves the man I once called my own.

I turned and walked out, what was I going to do? I had to see him, but I was torn and confused with the presentation of this girl into the equation. Even though I cannot bring my memories into perfect focus, I can feel the great expanse of time that has passed sense we last saw each other. I feel a tear slowly slide down my cheeks as I walk through the night back to my little hotel room. This will take some thinking, how will I approach him and tell my love that I want to be his again?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I woke the next evening restless, my dreams were unsettling me. I paced back and forth across the old moldy hotel room that I was in. I snatched uselessly at splinters of my dreams that bubbled to the surface of my brain periodically. I growled in frustration, a smell here a flash of image there. It felt like I was missing some vital element that had occurred to me but I could not make that vital thing pop to the surface.

I focused again on the things I did remember turning over the few memories I did have in the hopes of reveling some new vital bit of information that would unlock my other memories. I remembered waking in a house here in Louisiana. I remember my first breath of air burning in my lungs. I somehow knew that this is the first breath I had taken in a long time. I was surrounded by hooded figures chanting in a strange language I had never heard before.

The memories of my life started flowing backwards through time, the first thing I remembered was a huge blank spot, a darkness of a memory that is supposed to be there but wasn't there. Every other time I had run through these recollections I had always assumed that it was just nothingness, oblivion but I could almost hear conversations feel unpleasant sensations see images that were blurred and distorted. I knew that there was something that was supposed to be there but it had just been washed away like writing in the sand. It felt like a wave had just washed it away but you could just make out that there used to be something there. I knew that it was important but I just could not grasp what that something was and how it was important.

I pushed through the mysterious blankness to ponder later, the last thing I truly remembered that was clear and crisp and clean was being very cold and my husband muffled in the distance arguing with someone about my fever. How could I have a fever if I was so cold? A little further before that my husband, Eric, was sitting at my bedside brushing my long hair off of my face a cool cloth in his hand running it over my forehead and neck. He was telling me how proud he was that I had done so well and that I had given him another son.

Further back I was in childbirth Eric at my side encouraging me onward, there was a midwife telling me our baby was almost born. A little further still standing in front of our fire preparing Eric's dinner as the first contractions of labor rocked my body. I knew something wasn't right with the intensity of the pain and I yelled for Eric to come quickly. Further still Eric and I laying in our bed together, he was resting his head on my belly listening to the baby move inside. Eric always loved it when I was this pregnant, he kissed my belly lightly and told the baby inside how much he loved it. The next memory came of Eric and me walking together hand in hand around our land that we lived on.

Suddenly a wall slammed down between the flow of memories and me cutting me off sharply from my life. The figures that were gathered around me chanting had risen to a fever pitch. They were all screaming there will into me, forcing me to obey them by some odd means of magic. I cried out in pain as their spell clicked into place forcing me into some unknown mold. Then there was nothing but silence, all the rest of my memories of my life washed away because that was what they wanted. They did not need me to remember my past they needed me for other purposes. To what end those purposes were to be eluded me.

I shook myself away from the bitter memory, I knew now that I was supposed to be a tool, in these peoples box, a powerful weapon to be, somehow, wielded against my husband Eric. I was supposed to lure him here, to them in some way, the end result being so that they could take advantage of him. I was thrown into a dank dark root cellar to wait while they prepared some ritual in order to summon Eric to the. Something went wrong though while they were preparing the spell. A loud battle of some kind erupted above me; I looked around desperately for a means of escape, I knew that this might be my only chance to get away. There was no way that I wanted to sit here and wait for the battle to flow down the stairs and sweep me away into its madness.

I looked around and saw the only means of escaping this room that was not through the locked door at the top of the stairs. High up on the wall was a small window, I tried to open it but it would not budge, I scavenged the floor looking for something anything that would break the glass away and allow me out into the night. There was a bloody rag lying on the floor, it had been clearly discarded mindlessly after its use. I wrapped the clothe around my hand and hit the glass again and again until it shattered. I pulled my body up the wall and out the small window. I bit my lips as the splinters of glass that I could not clear away bit here and there into my body. I knew that I did not want to draw attention to myself from the fighters that were in the upper level of the house.

After what felt like an eternity I managed to pull myself free of the little dark room and the window that had trapped me inside and I ran as fast as my feet would carry me into the night. I knew that my naked body would undoubtedly draw attention to me but at that moment I did not care. I just wanted to get as far away from the house as I could before someone noticed me. The cold stone of the ground slapped against my feet I could feel the bits of rock and rough stone cutting into my tender flesh but I couldn't stop. I had to get away from the witches and battle behind me; I knew I would die if I didn't. I ran headlong into a small group of women.

They were asking me questions in a strange language I didn't understand, I tried to explain to them what happened and they shook their heads. They didn't understand me either but these women were wise and powerful I could feel it down deep in my bones. An elderly black woman held open her arms to me clearly she wanted to hold me to comfort me I rushed into the protection of those arms knowing I would be safe there. I had never seen anyone of her color before and she was older than anyone I have ever seen she was dressed strangely and her hair was cut shorter then a man's but I knew I could trust her. She yelled something and they brought a blanket to me. The elderly women wrapped me in it and led me gently to a large metal box with doors, I would later find out that it was called a car. She maneuvered me through one of the openings and laid me down in, what was clearly, the back. She gestured to me to lie down pressed her finger to her lips indicating I should be very quiet and I did as she bid.

I nodded to her letting her know that I understood. Warmth washed over me swaddled and safe in the back of this wise woman's car. I knew there were so many things that were strange about this world, things that should disturb me, but I was not going to think about that now. I gently fell into a deep sleep. I woke some time later to the gentle rocking of the car.

I snapped up into wakefulness and I was panicked for a moment I looked around and saw the wise women sitting next to me I sighed with relief. She flung her arms open wide and I threw myself into those waiting comforting arms She rocked me gently and hummed to me and stroked my hair. After a moment I feel back into restful sleep wrapped in this wise woman's arms. She took me back to what could only be her home.

I later came to know her as Mistress Ruby Anne Lanette. She was a wise woman, a shaman, or what she liked to call a witch. Over the next year she slowly taught me English and tried to help me remember where I was from. My memories eluded me and she and I both became frustrated by it. She was also very interested in why Halo had captured me.

I told my new mentor that all I could glean from Halo was that it had to do with my husband Eric. Every time I mentioned Eric Ruby Anne's face always became dark and withdrawn. I wanted to talk about him all the time every memory I did have centered around him, every time I brought it up though she would avoid it. I knew she knew my husband and I could not figure out for the life of me why she would avoid talking about him. It baffled me beyond belief I knew I should be respectful of the elderly woman though and that my place was not to question her.

One day, just over a year after Ruby Anne had first found me running naked down that street in Shreveport I sat Ruby Anne down and told her that we had to talk about Eric. I knew that she knew something about my husband and that I had noticed that every time I brought him up she avoid the subject and become irrationally upset.

I sat her down on our couch and told her "Tell me, Ruby Anne, I know you know something about my Eric. I know that him being my husband has helped you figure out who I am and where I am from."

She sighed deeply at me. "Child, you do not want to know."

"I do" I protested. "Do you know him, where he is, where I can find him?"

"Yes child I know him, the night that I found you he was the reason we where there. He lives here, in this town I do not know exactly where."

I jumped up and demanded "WHERE, WHERE IS MY ERIC?" she gave me a dark look and nodded at the seat behind me clearly reminding me of my place. Slowly she had explained to me that my Eric, the one memory I was certain of, was a vampire and what that meant to me. If I was Eric's wife and I remembered him as a human and not as a vampire that I had to be from before he was converted and Eric was over a thousand years old. She knew little to nothing about Eric's past other than he was a Viking long ago and had lived somewhere over seas.

She explained to me about Eric's business here in Shreveport and that he seemed to be in charge of the local vampires in the area. She further explained that Halo the witch they had been fighting had been trying to take over his area. Ruby Anne and her coven had been trying to conjecture, sense I first mentioned Eric, why she had brought me forward in time.

They could not even figure out how Halo had done what she did, not only had she brought me forward in time but gave me back my human life because as far as they could tell I was fully human. They couldn't even figure out what plausible purpose that Halo had done what she did. Not long after Ruby Anne had revealed all this to me I decided to leave and find my long lost Eric, I knew he would help me.

I pulled back into the here and now, shaking my head slightly. I had seen Eric last night in his bar. He had a blond woman with him, the way that he looked at her spoke volumes to me. I had to leave the bar my heart breaking. I had to remind myself that Eric didn't know I was alive; to him I had been dead and gone for over a thousand years. I had to go back to the bar tonight I had to at least see him again tonight even if I could not summon up the courage to speak with him. I was having problems how to broach the whole situation with him. What was I going to say? "Hey Eric remember me? Yeah I am your dead wife from over a thousand years ago yeah your enemies raised me from the great beyond." Yeah this was going to go over really well.

I left my hotel room walking quickly to his bar. Sunset ... he would be up soon, he would be here soon I paced back and forth across the street from his bar. I watched the last rays of the sun slip beneath the horizon and my breath caught in my throat. I felt him wake from his death sleep, I could almost see him. I closed my eyes and concentrated on that feeling, I could see him stretching his long muscular body preparing himself for his day. I almost laughed at that, his day HA, his night, this man, my man hasn't seen the sun rise or set in a very long time.

I saw him primping and preening himself in front of a large mirror and he was being extremely meticulous about his image. How could this man, who was once considered the mightiest warrior in our village, suddenly become such a vane creature? I watched him move about his home oblivious to my spying, I wasn't sure how I was doing it but I knew I was really watching him. My heart ached, if he could only feel me, know I was alive know I was here for him, feel that love we had once possessed. I couldn't help myself I hoped that if he could only know I was here he would come running

"Eric" I whispered into the wind. I saw his back stiffen, I saw him look up and around. He heard me I just knew it. He shook himself clearly telling himself that he was imagining things. He left his house to leave for his business. He climbed into a red corvette and speed into the night.

I felt him arrive, ever sense I first stepped foot into his bar and into his proximity strange powers were awakening in me. I knew he was near I could feel his emotions I could almost hear his thoughts. I watched him approach his bar, smooth and confident; there was some kind of party going on. He was clearly distracted the music was so loud that I could feel it pulsing into me from my hiding spot across the street. I paced restlessly should I go in, should I run away now that I had seen him? No, I could not just walk away now, he had gone into his bar and just a glimpse of him was not enough.

My past was just sketchy glimpses here and there, and my present was even sketchier. I was not sure who are what I was, I mean, I knew my name, but how can I be who I was? What scared me further was the power of magic awakening inside of me. Things that I knew to be unnatural things that would have gotten me burned alive in my previous life. Well ... that's what I thought would happen.... everything was so confusing to me except for him.

I joined the throng of people entering his club and a beautiful blond vampire woman was standing watch at the door. I brushed her skin as I was handing her the cover charge and I could see into her head, her name was Pam. She was Eric's child. I tilted my head slightly how could she be his child? I saw them laughing together by a fire, hunting a human in a game of sport and supper, and making love. OH! He converted her from her human life to Vampire, I smiled at her slightly, this woman was something special to Eric, and she waved a hand dismissively at me, signaling me to move through to the main part of the club.

I looked up and saw him, sitting upon a golden throne in all his glory. He was surveying the room with a kind of cynical indifference. Although there was a party going on all around him, people laughing and enjoying themselves, he looked so sad. The man that I have flashes of in my mind was serious yet there was always a light behind his eyes. A light that always told me his beautiful laughter was just on the horizon waiting to bubble out and wrap in you the warmth of it.

I sucked in my breath and held it winding my way slowly towards him gently pushing through the crowd. His head snapped up and a slow smile spread across his face, I thought for one brief moment he was looking at me. But after a moment I realized that he was not looking at me, I followed his line of sight and just behind me that pretty little blond I had seen the previous night walked into the bar. She pushed her way past me her eyes focused on Eric a look mirroring Eric's spread across her face.

As she brushed past me her hand lightly brushed mine, in a flash I saw every moment she had spent with Eric. She loved him she just hadn't admitted it to herself yet. There was moments of such tenderness that had passed between the two of them. How could he not care for her?

"Oh Eric," I whispered "You've fallen in love." I felt the tears falling down my face. Eric's head snapped up and scanned the room. I could feel the confusion in his head. He had heard me but he was having a hard time placing my voice into its proper place in his mind. He knew that it was someone important but he had not heard it in so long. I saw his memory flashing across my voice floating to him in his house earlier in the night. He knew he should know my voice but it was impossible. I turned and spun away from him and ran as fast as I could from his bar. I couldn't do it.

I felt the tears stinging my face, I knew the moment he spotted me in the crowd, and I could feel his eyes on my back as I ran away from him. Would he chase me, would he leave, how would I even explain my presence here and now in the present? I bumped into Pam, my husband's child on the way out the door. She irrupted in anger and said "HOW DARE YOU"

I looked into her eyes and said. "I am so sorry Pam; please I just cannot watch him with her." She looked at me confused and baffled. I realized that I had said too much, she didn't know who I was but I knew everything about her. I rushed past her and flung the doors open. I glimpsed back and saw Eric sweeping the blond Sookie out onto the dance floor the whole disconcerting situation brushed away for thought at a later time; he only had eyes for her. How was I going to deal with this?

I paced back and forth across the street from his club, turning the same things over and over again in my mind. I needed to figure out what to do with my life now, I knew that there was something about me that wasn't right, and I wasn't the same women. I threw my spirit, conciseness, whatever you call it into the club. I could see him swaying across the dance floor with Sookie.

"Oh Eric" I sighed again, wishing he would just come out into the night drawn to me somehow knowing I was there. I wanted to speak to him so badly but how would I do this without his new love being by his side. I was so scared; I had never been so scared in my whole life, well at least not that I could remember.

How would he react to my presence would he see it as an imposition that I had somehow rose from my grave to join him here in the present. I knew that he needed to know the things that I did, the things that Halo had done. I turned slowly away from the bar away from Eric; I would try again, but not tonight, soon so soon. I whispered into the night.... and willed my voice to float to him in his club "Soon Eric, soon you will see. Soon you will know everything." that I want to be his again?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Tonight would be the night, I would go to Eric, and he would help me figure it all out. He would make me safe. My mentor Ruby Anne told me Eric had Halow's spell book. Eric had to be able to find something in there that would help me. He would be able to tell me what I am and why she had brought me forward in time.

I paced back and forth in front of his home; I had followed his essence, somehow, here. I knew that he had to return from his club soon. I had contemplated trying to approaching him in his club again but he was always surrounded by people. That girl Sookie was always there as well. Somehow I thought that the conversation we had to have was not fit to have in front of that girl.

My anxiety was reaching a fever pitch when I felt him approaching, I wasn't sure how I was tuning in to him, or tracking him, whatever this was, but I could feel him coming on the wind. I looked up and there he was in all his beautiful glory, floating down gently from the skies like he had wings. He gently touched down at the end of his long brick walkway and started the walk up to his big red front door.

Eric was always a bit ostentatious so it didn't really surprise me that his house was the most lavish on the street. I felt my heart leap with anticipation and excitement. My blood was beating so fast through my veins that it felt like it would burst out through my chest. I slowly stepped out of the shadows and I saw his back stiffen as he heard my feet shuffle against the pavement. He turned quickly and faced me.

It was now or never. "Eric, min man, min älska. JAG tänka vi har en lott till tala om. (Eric my husband my love I think we have a lot to talk about)" I said to him.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Aude?" he said slowly he took one hesitant step towards me. Now that it was just him and I alone I took in his appearance more closely. There were always so many people surrounding him and I had been so focused on just seeing him that I had not paid that much attention. His long golden hair still fell down his shoulders in waves of frothy glory but the coloring had changed almost dramatically. His skin had also taken on a whole new pallor as well; his looks were changed almost dramatically from the few memories of him that I possessed. I had been clinging to those memories with almost a violent resolve that to see him so changed almost frightened me.

His hair although still beautiful and golden falling down in cascades past his shoulders didn't have that slight red tint it had always had in his former life. In my memory whenever the light had hit it just right it had always made me think of a fiery sunset sparkling off of the finest of gold.

His skin to had changed dramatically, it was very pale and beautiful almost luminescent but it was not quite right, the coloring now reminded me of spring clouds so pale and perfect with hints of blue and purple just before a storm. His coloring before had always had the distinct color of a man who worked in the hot sun day in and day out, he had always looked like fresh baked bread that perfect mix of light brown and gold when it had been baked just right. For one brief moment I mourned that loss for him, he had traded the warm kissing rays of the sun for the cold caresses of the moon and stars and that exchange had cost him. He was still absolutely gorgeous but it was a different kind of beautiful, instead of being warm and inviting it was almost cold and unapproachable.

I shook myself loose from my revelry because he had started pacing back and forth across the small walkway in front of his house. "Aude, hur är den här möjlig? Du kanna inte bli du , du har blitt död för över tusen åren. JAG begravde du inne om grund mig själv. (Aude, how is this possible? You cannot be you; you have been dead for over a thousand years. I buried you in the ground myself.)" He started shaking his head violently back and forth.

"**THIS CAN NOT BE**!" he roared at the night in general. "I must have finally lost my mind, I mean, I have heard of vampires loosing there mind after a time. Typically this is because they cannot adjust. OR MAYBE, I am feeling some kind of guilt for my new feelings that I am developing towards Sookie, but that too seems unlikely as I have been carrying on with her for some time now and I have not felt a single twinge of it until now. I mean how is it possible that it would come on me all of the sudden like this?" Eric was pacing back and forth rapidly and shaking his head violently in his anxiety. I was scared that with the violence of it he was going to end up hurting himself.

My whole body vibrated with the need to be closer to him but at this moment I was not entirely sure if that was such a smart idea. I cocked my head at him slightly and I could feel his anxieties pounding against me. I sighed deeply. I opened my mouth to calm him and he cut me off. "Maybe, I have lost all my confidence in the order of things. My whole life has been turned upside down and backwards lately. I have to be crazy I am seeing my dead wife standing less than ten feet away from me." As if that thought brought his attention back to me he looked right at me. "**YOU DIED AFTER CHILD BIRTH**!" he screamed at me accusingly.

"Eric, min älska , JAG försäkra du så pass JAG er verklig. (Eric, my love, I assure you that I am real.)" I said to him in a quite soothing voice, he was a man on the edge that was for sure and I did not want to push him over.

He started shaking his head back and forth again. "**IMPOSSIBLE!**" he shouted at me again and resumed his relentless pacing again.

I was losing patience with this little bit of self indulgence he was undertaking. "Eric, **ERIC**!!" he was clearly not listening to me. I closed my eyes and wished distinctly that I was close enough to slap some sense into him. When I opened my eyes to my surprise, and his as well from the look on his face, I was standing directly in front of him. While I had the opportunity I seized my chance swung my hand backwards and slapped his face as hard as I could manage.

His whole body rocked with impact of the blow. My hand stung and burned with the jolt of it. He looked at me in stunned silence; I must have hit him harder than I had thought though because I noticed one small trickle of blood slowly making its way down his chin from the corner of his mouth. "Eric, husband, I promise you I am very real and very much here in front of you. Besides the little I do remember of my life I know for a fact that you have never had any issue with guilt of any kind for any reason. As far as your confidence is concerned, I could never see you having any lack of that. I find that to be … what is the English word for this …?" I thought hard trying to find the translation in my head finally I gave up and said. "fullständigt omöjlig."

Everything paused for just one moment as if he was trying to gauge how to respond, and then I saw a small smile spread across his lips, his eyes lighting up with merriment. "Utterly impossible." He said.

He slowly took that one last little step that separated us and just as slowly, as if I was going to disappear if he touched me, he reached out to with his right hand and caressed the side of my face with the back of his fingers. The tenderness of it, the utter feeling of rightness washed over me and I closed my eyes to fully enjoy the moment. Small flickers of memory flashed through my head I knew he had done this gentle loving gesture to me a million times before.

I opened my eyes and looked up into his beautiful blue eyes; he was staring at me as if he could see deep down into my soul. He cupped the side of my face gently and I rubbed my cheek against the cool solidness of his hand. I was so utterly full of joy that I could feel the hot tears sliding from my eyes and down my cheeks.

Suddenly he was kissing me, the force of it rocked my whole body, I thought I would fall backwards from it but Eric was one step ahead of me and had wrapped his arms around the small of my back to firmly hold me in place. My body fell into a familiar pattern of response that I had not even known was there, it was like every fiber of my being was meant to be here kissing him. The memories of his kisses were so engraved on my very soul that I responded the way I knew I always had. I leaned into him and flung my arms up and around his neck pressing every inch of myself against my six foot four husband.

Just as suddenly as the kiss had begun it was over and he was beaming down at me. His hands gently encircled my waist and he flung me up into the heavens, I thought for one brief moment that I was going to keep going up and up into the night but he never let go of my waist. He held me high as his arms could reach as if offering me up to the gods; he spun me around and around his head thrown back to the sky in a silent prayer.

As if that prayer could no longer be contained within him he shouted. "THANKYOU THANKYOU THANKYOU!" he was laughing that full joyous laughter that made my heart ache to hear. This was the laughter that I had been so sad was missing the night before. He gently lowered me to the ground and as he sat me down he went to his knees in front of me looking up into my face. He pulled me closer to him and buried his face in my belly, kissing my stomach and rubbing his face back and forth like a cat marking its territory after a time he just left his face buried in my flesh and was very still. After a long moment he looked up at me his face streaked with blood, he had been crying his own tears of joy.

I placed my hand gently on his cheek and smiled down at him. "My love." I whispered to him. He suddenly stood and was kissing me again his arms wrapped around me pressing me so tightly against him I thought we were going to truly become one being by the sheer force of his strength. He lifted me and I slid my legs around his waist. His hands slowly slid down and supported me, his strong hands clenching and unclenching my flesh.

This was right, this was perfect, this was the way it was meant to be, it was like we were the only two people in the entire world. We were meant to be right here in each other's arms and nowhere else we fit perfectly together and no matter the amount of time that had passed we would never lose that. Gently, and with a great deal of reluctance, he broke off his kiss.

"How Aude, how is this miracle possible? How is it that you have returned to me after all this time my wife?" His voice was husky with need and desire but his insatiable curiosity had won out over his desire for physical contact. My thoughts darkened slightly maybe if he wasn't in love with that Sookie girl he would find his physical needs more important.

I pushed away the thought it wasn't like he had known I was alive and given it had been 1000 years sense we had last known each other as man and wife I could hardly expect him to have been unwaveringly faithful after all that time. Clear as a bell I heard him in my head ask me "_What's wrong_?" he was just opening his mouth to actually ask me when I said.

"Oh nothing's wrong. I was just having unpleasant thoughts, for you it may have been 1000 years sense you have seen me but for me it has been only a year and the thought of you being with that girl I saw in your club last night Sookie I think her name was bothers me. Not that I expect you to have been faithful to me after all this time. It bothers me more than I thought it would is all. I mean I do not have many memories of my former life mostly just flickers here and there and they all center on you but the thought of you with someone else invokes a strange combination of rage and jealousy that I have never experienced before. Ruby Anne thinks my memory issues are all a side effect of whatever it was that brought me here. Ruby Anne? Oh she is the woman that saved me a year ago."

I looked at him quizzically. "What?" I asked after a moment of stunned silence "Oh yeah, that's another side effect of whatever it was that brought me forward, well actually I take that back, I think it is a side effect I would have to talk to Ruby Anne about it. I was vaguely aware something was different but it really kind of just exploded in the last few days. Well, let me see, I think it started the first day that I saw I saw you in the club. No, just yours, well, I take that back, I was at your club again last night and I could hear Pam as well, she's your, what was that word she used, you are her maker and she is your child. No, she didn't talk to me I saw it in her head. No, it wasn't even just what she was thinking, mostly she was thinking who is this crazy woman running through my club, god I am going to have to chase her around and I am going to scuff my brand new heels, it was more like flashes of memory that showed me she was your child and connected to you. No, I haven't tried it on anyone else. I got glimpses into Sookie's head when I saw her in the club. I know that I didn't do any of this in my former life, at least not that I can remember."

He shook his head at me again but he was laughing at the same time, his whole being beamed with amusement and mirth. "Do you realize that you just had an entire conversation with me without me ever uttering a single word?"

"I had not really thought about it, this is the first time that I have had this much contact with someone who I can read. Mostly I just hear a hum of noise all the time, I have never really tried to focus on it, except on accident like last night with Pam, and right now because all my walls are down and I am so tuned in to you I am picking up a whole bunch of stuff. The questions that you were about to ask are just the easiest to pick out because they were already at the front of your head and I could already hear them in my own mind and I was not really thinking oh I should not answer the question before he asks it because to me I have already heard you ask it. I guess I am having a hard time filtering, I suppose that is the right word, out what you are saying and what you are thinking."

He laughed again, bent over me and pulled me closer, "Well …" he whispered against the side of my neck, my body trembling with the desire that with this one small act of intimacy. "I can finally understand …" he kissed my neck. "why people find that disconcerting. It is a most odd feeling not ever having to speak what you are thinking." He leaned away from my neck and placed a gentle kiss on my lips. "Who is exactly is Ruby Anne besides just the woman who saved you a year ago?"

"Oh, she is a witch, at least that is the term she uses; she says she saved me on the night of, what she calls, the witch wars. I think that is what she called it. Something about a struggle with the coven of witches that where trying to hurt you, she never really told me all of the details."

He pulled away from me slightly a dark look crossing his face. "Aude, tell me how is it that you came here?"

The look that flashed through his eyes made me not want to answer him. "You will not like it." I said sheepishly.

He crossed his arms across his chest and said "Wife tell me." It was clearly an order.

I looked down at my toes and rapidly started my explanation perhaps rushing my words faster than necessary. "Hallow, of course at the time I did not know that was her name Ruby Anne told me that later, she brought me forward in time. Her and her coven worked some kind of magic that made me alive again. As far as Ruby Anne and her coven could figure I am tuned in to you. Kind of like a divining rod. No matter where you are or what you are doing I can feel you and more importantly find you. Being able to read your thoughts is not the only thing I can do either I can see you, if I really concentrate; it is like I am in the room with you. One of the side effects though is that I have almost no memories except for you, although Ruby Anne's coven is almost positive that Hallow had something to do with my memory loss.

"I think whatever she had intended to do with me was stopped the night that the witch wars took place. She had intended to use me some way against you but whatever way she had intended died with her that night. Ruby Anne and her coven could never figure out why she did it let alone how she did it. I think though that it is a good thing they never figured out the how of it all because I distinctly got the impression that if they had figured it out they would have sent me back into Valhalla without ever telling you I was here."

I stopped my explanation dead in its tracks because Eric was furious, I could not pick out exactly what he was so angry about but the one thing I could glean from his whirlwind of thoughts was me. I was wrapped up in the center of all that rage. I looked up into his eyes and the look in them had made lesser people run screaming the other direction from him. I took one step slowly away from him. He had murder in those eyes and all of that murderous rage was focused right at me. Right then I wished down deep in my soul that I had considered the possibility that Eric would turn on me after I told him who had brought me to his side in the first place. I had just taken for granted the fact that he might see me as some kind of spy or traitor because of who had brought me here. I whirled around and ran praying that he would not catch me praying that he would not kill me.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I ran, I ran as fast and quick as my feet could carry me. I could feel Eric's startlement and confusion at my sudden attempt to flee from him. All I could think was please gods let me get away. I made it maybe a half a block before he grabbed me from behind. I felt his cold hands wrap around my arms to hold me in place I just stopped running it was like running into a brick wall, without all the pain. I screamed at the top of my lungs, he whirled me around impossibly fast. I flung my hands uselessly at him trying with all my might to hit him so that I could get away.

Oh gods please don't let him kill me. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it was going to jump out of my chest. He gripped my arms tighter to try to keep me under control. I tried to fall to my knees in the hopes maybe I would slip out of his grasp but I ended up just dangling there my knees off the ground. I flung myself forward at him, and for some reason he allowed me to wrap my arms around his waist. I decided the only option I had left was to beg; not that begging could do any good if he was really determined but I had to try.

"Please Eric, please," I cried into his firm muscular belly "please don't kill me. It is not my fault that Hallow tried to use me against you. Please don't kill me, please I beg you. If there is any love left in you for me please you will spare me. If you never wish to see me again I will never again grace your door step. Please just spare me; this whole thing is not my fault."

He ran one hand across the top of my head and sighed. He lifted me up off the ground with such suddenness that I was dazed for a moment. "Aude, you stupid stupid woman." He said shaking me just the slightest bit. He leaned forward and kissed me with the same furious desire that had swept over him earlier. The kiss itself stunned me again and I was not quite sure how to react. Should I kiss him back? Or should I grovel more? This was not what I expected in the slightest bit. He gently pulled back from me and smiled.

"Aude," he said tilting his head slightly "Why would you think I would kill you?" he ran his hand down the side of my face and forced me to continue looking in his eyes. "I would never let anyone harm one single hair on your beautiful head." He leaned forward and laid a gentle kiss on my forehead. That one act allowed me to let out one long shuttering breath of relief. I slid my arms around his waist and buried my face in his chest.

He gently rubbed little circles all up and down my spine and now that I was finally not in fear he was going to kill me the adrenaline slowly leaked away I was trembling from head to toe. Between the cold of the crisp night and the continuous emotional ups and downs of the evening, it was causing my body to react badly. I snuggled myself closer into him and let go with a great sigh of relief. He gently bent forward and swept my knees out from under me. He walked up to his front door the whole time shushing me quietly trying to keep me calm. He repositioned me slightly so that he could keep a hold of me with just one arm and open his front door at the same time. I felt his muscles tightening and relaxing underneath me, I expected to feel strain there but it was like I was nothing more than a feather or maybe an oddly shaped sack of groceries to him. He kicked the door shut behind him and said "Lights" and every light in his house came on, so ostentatious it was completely and utterly Eric. I buried my face deep in his chest the sudden flash of light irritated my eyes after the dim lights of outside.

He walked through his house but the movements were so gentle that I could not distinguish if we were moving up or down, I could barely tell we were moving at all. We must have finally reached our destination though because he gently laid me down on an enormous bed. When I say enormous I mean it could have easily fit at least nine people. "Cold?" he asked gently, I still didn't trust my voice not to shake I just nodded one quick affirmative movement. "Fire." He said.

I thought he was asking a question at first but a whoosh of sound drew my attention to the corner of the room. Of course he had a fireplace on voice command too. I couldn't help myself I started to laugh and shake my head back and forth. He raised one pale eyebrow at me. "What?" he said clearly surprised by my reaction? He had the look of someone who distinctly thought I was having some kind of hysterics but I just couldn't seem to help myself I laughed harder. "What?" He asked again this time a little more sternly.

The laughter died on my lips, oh crap I upset the vampire, again. I gulped. I could feel my fear rush up my body. He closed his eyes as if saying a silent prayer for patience and slowly walked forward. He lowered himself so slowly onto the bed. Even though my body was still screaming with panic and fear I could feel other desires flooding though ever fiber of my being watching him move towards me. "What is so funny Aude?" he asked gently. He slowly crept towards me across the bed and I just couldn't help but think of a big cat stalking its prey. His every movement was so silent. People made noise they just did, no matter how careful they where they made noise. A rubbing of fabric, a creak of a knee, a bang of a foot, something anything but Eric made no noise. His otherness had not come in more clearly than it did in this moment as he moved across the bed. Although in some ways he was the man I loved he was so changed and the change was dangerous, it scared me beyond belief being so close to someone who was so beautiful and loving yet so deadly all at the same time.

I swallowed and in the smallest voice I could manage without whispering I said. "All of this is funny Eric." I made a small gesture around the room.

"All of what?" he asked gently he was so close now if I just barely reached out I could run my fingers through all that cascading golden hair that had fallen just perfectly around his face.

"Well, all of this Eric," I managed in a throaty voice my desire to be near him clearly winning out over my fear. "the fact that your house is programmed to recognize your voice and obey your commands. Your house is the most lavish on the street in looks, and then when you are in the house you say lights and all the lights come on, you say fire and whoosh your fireplace comes on,. It is very you, very ostentatious even your home has to bend to your will." I shrugged "I find it amusing."

He smiled a slow smile at me his eyes twinkling just the slightest bit. "How very," he ran his tongue along his bottom lip and rolled that same lip up into his mouth and slowly bit on it as it slide back out of his mouth. I couldn't help but look away from his eyes towards that small gesture. There was just something about that gesture that just flat did it for me, it was like he was thinking naughty thoughts that tasted so good that he had to lick them off his lips. Or that he had just eaten something so delectable that he wanted to savor every last drop that lingered on his lips. "observant of you." His smile spread larger across his face.

"I am very used to everything and everyone bending to my will with a simple snap of my fingers or a short word that passes my _lips_." He emphasized the last word making it into a double-entendre so that I knew he did not just mean lips he meant _lips _those things that can do so much more than just speak.

"Breath." He said, that sexy little smile pasted on his face, he was clearly pleased with himself that he had distracted me so thoroughly I had been holding my breath.

I let out a slow shaky breath and I looked up at him stunned. I shook my head back and forth trying to clear the muddled thoughts out of my head. "That's not fair Eric, you seem to have memories of what will distinctly distract me but I do not share those memories." I slapped at his chest playfully and he snatched it in his hand just as my fingertips made contact with his chest, the movement was so quick that I hadn't even seen him move. He pulled my whole body to him so that I was pressed against the length of his firm body.

He ran his nose gently back and forth along my wrist. "That is terrible that you cannot remember." He said quietly his voice full of suggestiveness and sexuality and placed a small kiss against my wrist. "Perhaps, I can make those memories come back." He kissed my wrist again but lingered longer this time. "Or perhaps we can just make new ones." He kissed my wrist again and I could feel his tongue flick my wrist just slightly.

I could feel myself trembling again but it wasn't from the cold and fear this time. "Breath." He said again and laughed that deep throaty laugh that only men do when they are distinctly happy with themselves. I took one shuddering breath.

He gently kissed up my arm I could feel my desires starting to sweep me away ready to be in the throes of passion. If he kept this up much longer I was going to rip all his clothes off and have my way with him. Not that I would expect him to put up much of a fight. "Aude?" he whispered against my arm he had made it to my elbow now and I could feel his tongue making slow lazy circles against my skin.

"Hmmm?" I said.  
"Why did you run from me?" my body stiffened against him singing with tension. I had been so swept up in the moment I had not realized that I relaxed so completely against him until my body sung with reawakened tension. "Now, now," he whispered and moved up to gently start kissing my shoulder. "none of that." He nibbled ever so slightly on my collar bone and I couldn't help but to let out a small moan of excitement. "Just tell me love, why did you run?"

"I was afraid." I said my words coming out as more of gasp of breath instead of actual words.

"Why where you afraid?" He said nuzzling my neck with his nose.

"I was afraid you were going to kill me."

He pulled away from my neck and gave me a hard look; the look surprised me so much that I tried to hear what it could possibly mean. I hadn't realized that I was blocking out his thoughts. The moment that I had turned to escape I had slammed some kind of wall down between the two of us. I think somewhere inside me I knew that if he was going to kill me I didn't want to hear his anger and rage during it. Now that I thought about it I think it would have hurt me more to hear that anger and rage directed at me than the actual killing blows that I thought he was going to undoubtedly bestow on me. The only echo of emotion that I found in his head was pure shock and utter disbelief and a small smattering of hurt feelings. "Why …. Why would you think I was going to kill you?"

"I could hear it;" he raised an eyebrow at me clearly questioning my statement. "well I could see your anger swirling rapidly around and around in your head, a murderous rage sweeping through you and in the center of all that rage was me. It scared me."

"Oh you stupid stupid woman, I wasn't angry with you." He said briskly and gently all at the same time. "I was angry because of what Hallow had done and that I could not kill her again for what she has done to you."He leaned forward and kissed me forcefully and just when I thought I was going to start ripping my hair out with the feverish excitement that was building up he gently pulled away. "Although, in some ways I could kiss her for bringing you back to me." He added as an afterthought.

"I …. I …. I love you Aude. I would never ever do anything to hurt you and now that you are returned to me I will never allow any harm come to you." He put his hand on my cheek and looked me in my eyes and I believed him, here was a man that would move heaven and earth for me if he could and I knew just how much that one small gesture of affection had cost him to express.

"JAG älska du alltför. (I love you too.)" Before I could say any more than that he was kissing me again. This time though the kiss was different more urgent, I could feel his hands sliding down my body maneuvering my body here and there. He was fumbling at the buttons of my jeans he let out a low growl in his frustration in their unwillingness to bend to his desire. He leaned back on his heels and grabbed my jeans at the waist and pulled. He ripped those jeans right off my body lifting me up off the bed with the force of it. I could see his fangs extended and glistening in the dim firelight, clearly they had run out in his excitement of the moment. When he realized what I was looking at he tried to hide them from me. I think he was trying his hardest not to scare me again. I sat up as best as I could leaning on the palm of one hand and with the other slowly reached for his lips. I ran my fingers gently across his lips and then across his fangs so gently.

I don't know what possessed me to do it but I gently pushed my index finger up on his fang so that it gave me the tinniest of pricks. I could see the smallest drop of blood forming on the tip of my finger. I gently rubbed the blood back and forth across his lips. He looked like he was wearing lipstick the bright crimson sticking out so vividly against his pale skin. He ran his tongue slowly over his lips again but this time he closed his eyes. He was savoring that one little drop like a dying man who hadn't had any water in far too long.

He opened up his eyes and looked at me for a long moment that seemed to stretch out for forever and ever and beyond into eternity. He smiled at me a slow sexy smile. With a sudden fierceness he reached out grabbed me around my waist and pulled me on to his lap. He made short work of the remaining remnants of my clothing but I was so wrapped up in the passion of it that it was all a blur, a shirt here, panties there, but I never left his lap pressed hard and firm against him. My body was quivering with need against his and his was thrumming against mine echoing that same need.

The next two hours where spent in mind numbing beautiful ecstasy but our eyes never left each other's we just fell into the others soul and refused the bond that had been there that had been lost threw time. It was where we both truly belonged and we both knew it.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I found myself surrounded by hooded figures standing over me; they were all staring down at me with hateful menace in their eyes. A large woman stood directly above my head her low voice chanting something over and over again. A knife flashed in the corner of my vision I moved to try and get away but the other figures grabbed my wrists and legs. I rocked my body back and forth violently trying desperately to escape the knife wielding woman. The woman above me smiled, but the smile just wasn't right and it sent chills down into the marrow of my bones. She bent over me and ran the knife softly, tenderly, back and forth along my belly like a lovers caress. I realized for the first time that I was completely unclothed this realization just sent a new wave a panic through me. I renewed my efforts to get away from these madmen.

I pulled my foot back and kicked the person who was holding my feet in place. I managed to make contact with his chin and he rocked backwards violently, a spray of blood and teeth escaping his mouth and splattering those around him as his whole body turned with the impact. The hooded woman who was wielding the knife shouted something in some strange language that I had never heard before but I distinctly got the impression that it was a bark of command. Suddenly every figure in the room had their hands pinning me to the rough wood beneath me. I tried to struggle but with so many hands pinning me in place I couldn't move at all.

I felt something wrap around my ankles but something about whatever was wrapped around my ankles was not right. I could lift my head just enough to see the man that I had kicked wrapping his now miss-shapen hands around my ankles. Instead of fingers though there was long claws wrapped in grey fur. I looked up into his face and I could see the bones and muscles moving beneath them his eyes changing back and forth between a golden yellow and dark brown. I opened my mouth to scream but a movement caught at the edges of my vision I rolled my eyes towards the woman standing at my head and saw her raising the knife to strike she plunged it down into me and this time I did scream.

I sat straight up in bed screaming a loud ragged scream over and over again; my eyes moving back and forth rapidly in the darkness searching for the threat of the hooded woman. After a long moment other memories slowly came back to me of Eric and I making love, I looked down and there he was lying beside me sprawled out on his belly, one arm draped across my lap limply his head tilted backwards slightly. Obviously I had jostled him from the other position he had laid in when he, for all intents and purposes, died for the day.

I remembered he had fallen asleep with his head tucked above mine and his arm fastened firmly around my middle. I closed my eyes briefly trying to dispel the nightmare that had woken me but when I closed my eyes I could see her face smirking at me behind my lids. I shivered slightly and snapped open my eyes, I had beads of cold sweat pouring down my naked back. Between the coolness of the room, my nakedness and the chill of cold sweat I was freezing. I gently extracted myself from under Eric's arm and slipped silently as I could out of the bed.

I stumbled through the darkness towards where I thought that the doorway was. The only light in the room was from the small fire that was still going in the corner of the room. I slowly made my way up a pair of winding steps. They were set at a weird angle so that no sunlight from the upstairs could seep down into Eric's resting place. After what felt like forever I finally reached the landing that opened up into the great room upstairs. I shielded my eyes briefly trying to give my eyes time to adjust to the sudden flood of light, it somehow seemed to be amplified across the room.

When enough time had finally passed my eyes fully adjusted, I looked around the room and felt my jaw drop. The room was absolutely magnificent. Everywhere I looked was white which explained why the light had been so amplified. Everything from the marble tile on the floor to the couches was snow white. There was just a small smattering of color here and there but it was so expertly blended into everything that you had to really look for it in order to notice. The hints of color, now that I was really looking, caught my eyes, there was a small streaking of silver and gold in the marble, a slight tinge of a rosey pink lightly weaved into his couches even the small pieces of art smattered here and there across his walls where white with just the lightest of hues of color were expertly blended in. It was amazing.

The large windows that stood directly in front of me went from floor to ceiling and wrapped around half of the room. Now that was an oddity, you would think that he wouldn't want to have such an obvious weakness in his home. I mean anyone could just smash the windows and come in if they really had it in their head to do so. I would have to tuck that away and ask him later why he would do such a stupid thing. Eric was anything but stupid so the fact that half of his home was surrounded in glass surprised me. Although the windows surprised me the warmth and brightness of the sun shining through them helped ease my fears from the nightmare that had plagued me. There is just something about coming into the sunlight after a nightmare that just soothes and heals. I felt the tightness in my chest ease, I had not even been aware that it was there until it slowly dissipated. I sighed deeply feeling much better, and very grateful for the warm light of day.

First things first, I needed to find the bathroom and then find some kind of clothing to wrap myself up in. I distinctly remembered that none of my clothes had managed to weather the storm of Eric's passion last night. I smiled at that thought as a flood of images warped through my head of sweaty limbs and extreme pleasures. I closed my eyes and reveled in those memories for a moment and sighed deeply. I suddenly had the urge to go down and jump Eric's bones but it would be too much like necrophilia for my tastes, I shuddered slightly at the thought. I opened my eyes and looked up at the clock that was on the wall to my left. It was four thirty he would be up soon enough. The one good thing about being in the middle of winter was that he would rise sooner.

I shook my head the tinniest bit shaking loose the ideas of making love with Eric, I couldn't just stand here stark naked for all the world to see in his living room. I closed my eyes and tried to remember where I had seen Eric's bathroom. Even though I had never actually stepped a single foot in his house I had a vague idea of where everything was. The picture surrounding him wasn't ever all that clear when I had seen him in my head but I would always have the general idea of proportions and placement. I walked a little forward and turned to my right walked across the living room and turned right again down a long glass hallway that wrapped around to the back of the house. From the top of the stair case looking towards the large red front door I would never have been able to see the hallway. Thank the gods for the strange blessings of these new powers, or whatever they were, that made it so that I didn't feel too disorientated and out of place here.

I walked into the bathroom and the first thing I noticed was the enormous tub that took up over half of the space in the large room. When Ruby Anne had first taken me into her home I remembered it taking me some time to adjust to indoor plumbing, she had kept finding me out side urinating on her azalea bushes in her back yard. It was a very hard road getting used to things here, for one thing the language barrier was immense, even though I picked up English much more quickly than Ruby Anne had expected, according to her, but there was also the fact that everything was just so different. Despite the fact that I had almost no memories of the time I came from I found myself falling into patterns that just were never correct.

Ruby Anne had always called them ingrained habits, despite the fact that I had no memories my body carried familiar patterns to the way things should be. She had explained to me, once I we had managed to leap the hurdle of language, that muscles could store memories of certain things she said it was like after the repetitive movement of doing things over and over again that your body just automatically reacted a certain way kind of like when a solider can feel a limb after its been removed. Your body stores memories of what ought to be in the very tissues themselves. I remember just shrugging and having to concede the point to her because I quite honestly did not understand what she was talking about.

I shook my head once again trying to shake memories loose from my racing brain, when I noticed a movement out of the corner of my eye. My head snapped up and I let out a slow sigh of relief, the movement I had noticed was my reflection in the enormous mirror that took up an entire wall. Now that I noticed it I wasn't sure how I had missed it when I came into the room. I had a brief flash of Eric primping and preening himself in front of the mirror and I just smiled. I padded across the room to the basin which was the only thing sitting directly in front of the mirror. I turned on the tap and washed my face, the warm water feeling so refreshingly good against my clammy skin.

After I was done I looked up and around for a towel to pat my face dry. Hanging on the back of the door was a large white, fluffy robe. I walked over to it and took the robe off the hook that it was hanging on. I wrapped myself up in the warm goodness of the robe. It was way too large on me seeing as it was most likely Eric's but it would work sort of, well it would do its job which was to cover my nakedness and keep me warm. I had to roll up the sleeves because they were way to long and I had to be careful not to trip on the edges because they just brushed the ground as I moved but I felt instantly better to be wrapped in it, I could just make out a hint of Eric's musky masculine smell combined with just a hint of some cologne that he must wear. I buried my nose in the robe and inhaled once long and deep and I couldn't help but find a smile spread wide across my face at the delicious odor.

I couldn't help but be happy smelling his scent gently laced across the robe. His smell was just intoxicating to me. I wrestled with my calf length hair to get it untucked from underneath the robe, I could feel the heavy tangles snagging here and there on my fingers as I pulled it out of the robe. I had to brush my hair out soon or I was going to regret it later. I glanced around the room, I knew there had to be a brush around here somewhere, I noticed some cabinets off on the side of the room, after a few false try's, managing to find where Eric kept his towels and various colognes in the process, I found his brush along with a various assortment of hair ties and hair products. I grabbed the brush as well as a leather hair tie and walked back out to the living room this always was a long process and I didn't particularly want to stand the whole time while I was doing it.

I flopped down on the couch and started on the long process of brushing out the tangles and putting my hair into a braid. For a long time I just enjoyed the simple soothing process of brushing my hair, I always found it to be so relaxing. After a time my mind started to wander and I remembered Ruby Anne pleading with me to cut my hair. I had looked at her like she had just suggested that I murder my first born child. I was completely and utterly horrified at the idea of butchering my hair. I just shook my head at her; I couldn't understand why it was that she wore her hair so short. Her hair was shorter than even men had worn their hair in my time and the very idea of cutting my own hair so short mortified me. She pleaded uselessly with me that it was such a pain to help me dry, brush out and braid my hair. This was another thing that I just didn't understand, I knew that even though she was elderly and to be treated with the upmost respect and care it was part of her job to help the young tend to their needs as they could no longer be of use to their clans in other ways and I told her this. She just laughed at me when I said this and said that things just were not like that anymore.

My stomach growled in hunger drawing me out of my revelry, I finished up my braid wrapping the leather easily around the end and tying it tightly. I was so happy to do this, I hadn't much enjoyed the little bobbles that people used in their hair to tie it back now, they always seemed to yank and pinch, perhaps this is why women no longer wore their hair long because the modern accompaniments for hair where just uncomfortable at best and downright painful at worst. My task done I flung my heavy braid behind me and walked across the room towards the kitchen. I could feel its familiar wait swinging back and forth across my back and ass. I just smiled, I had been scared to death for some time that Ruby Anne would sneak into my room at night and cut my braid off so that she would not have to be hassled with it any longer.

I poked my head into the fridge and was surprised to find a small amount of food in Eric's refrigerator. I grabbed some eggs, bacon, bread and butter from the fridge and set about the task of making myself some breakfast. In the middle of frying up my eggs the phone rang and I about jumped out of my skin. I hadn't realized how quite it had been in the house until the silence was broken by the shrill ringing of the telephone. I rolled my eyes at myself for jumping at a simple noise and went back to making my eggs after all it wasn't my home who knew who was calling for Eric.

Besides I wasn't even sure what or if he was going to tell people about me, the conversation had never come up during last night's reunion. After a few rings Eric's familiar voice floated on the air from what must be his answering machine that was placed neatly beside the phone. "This is Eric, tell me who you are and what you want and if I deem it necessary I will call you back at my earliest convince." I couldn't help but smile at this even his answering machine message oozed authority and cockiness and a demand of nothing less than utter obedience.

"Eric, its Sookie. I know you're not up yet but I wanted to know as soon as you could if you were going to be at Fangtasia tonight. I had a really shitty day and well to be honest I could just really use the company. Call me back as soon as you get this…" there was a long pause. "I miss you Eric and I really need you. Call me soon. Bye." And she hung up.

I felt the glass that I had been holding while I was pouring myself some Orange Juice crack and shatter in my hand. "Shit," I said shaking my hand. I looked down and noticed several deep cuts in the palm of my hand. I just sighed and went to the sink to gently rinse my hand under cold water to stop the bleeding and clean the wound. I leaned over the sink and picked glass out of my hand. I shook my head angry, ashamed and embarrassed, for inflicting such damage to myself. I was also certain that Eric would not be happy with me for breaking one of his glasses in a fit of jealousy. After I got the glass out and had pretty much stopped the bleeding I grabbed a small hand towel that was hanging from a hook on the wall next to the sink and wrapped it around my hand. Great just great now I owed him a new towel as well, I sighed deeply and went about the task of cleaning up the mess that I had made.

The entire time I was muttering to myself angrily about how stupid I had been. Didn't I know that he was with Sookie? Didn't I see their bond clear as day in my head when I had brushed against her in the club? Didn't I see the loving way he looked at her as she crossed the room towards him? He had practically radiated joy when he watched her move towards him. What did I really expect was going to happen when things calmed down after our initial meeting? Did I really believe that he was going to just drop everything and come running back to me? I started to weep at the painful thought, what if he decided that his bond with Sookie was to strong or if worse he just stayed with me out of some misbegotten obligation from our past? I just couldn't do that to him. I did not want to stand in his way of whatever it was that he wanted or had with this girl.

My mind made up, I quickly set about cleaning up the food I had made, suddenly not hungry at all. I had to get out of here before he rose for the night. After that was done I whirled around in small circles uselessly trying to decide if I had time to find clothes and leave him a note or if I should just go down stairs and pick up all evidence of my presence and escape while I still could. After a moment I decided even I couldn't be so cruel I whipped through all the drawers in his kitchen looking for a pen and paper that I knew had to be here somewhere. I rushed through a hasty explanation of why I was leaving and that I wished him the best of luck in his future with Sookie. I put the note on his enormous glass kitchen table and ran to the back of the house to look through all the closets that I had seen there. I knew that one of them had to contain some kind of clothing that would work temporarily for me. There was no way that I could go out in his bathrobe and not be harassed by people on my way back to the hotel room I was staying in.

I flung through the various closets and cupboards at the back of the house trying to find something, anything to wear. Finally after what felt like forever I found some black flip flops, although to big they would work temporarily, shorts, and a wife beater. The clothes where all too big for me as well but I would be able to make it back to my room without getting to many stares. I flung the robe off and dressed faster than I ever had. I had no bra or panties but I would survive the short trip. I grabbed the robe up off the floor and rushed into the bathroom to hang it back up on the hook. I turned and ran into the living room taking one long last look around the room. I noticed the brush I had used laying on the coffee table and I contemplated for one long moment if I should just leave it where it was or rush out the door. I looked out the windows and saw the sun had slipped almost completely behind the horizon. I sighed finally, I had to put it away it wouldn't take long to put it where it belonged and I was sure that Eric wouldn't be happy if I left anything out of place. I grabbed the brush and quickly ran back to bathroom threw it in the cupboard I had found it in and ran as fast as I could towards the front door before Eric woke. Hot tears streaming down my face I knew this was the right thing to do but why did it have to hurt so badly.

I reached out grabbed the handle my fingers just turning the knob to open the door, I had barely turned it when I blinked and there stood Eric in all his glory. He was so beautiful that I thought my heart would burst with the pain of knowing that I had to leave him. Damn it I should have just left the stupid brush. I so did not want to have a confrontation with him, to have him tell me that he desired the Sookie girl more than me. I knew I would break into a million pieces to have to actually hear the words escape his lips.

"Aude, what are doing? What's wrong I felt your panic and pain and smelled your blood and I was scared that something had happened to you? Where are you going?" he said his eyebrows pushing together in deep concern and confusion.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I sighed deep and hard I knew there was no way around this. I would have to tell him why I was leaving and I would then have to listen to him while he confirmed all of my thoughts on his relationship with Sookie. I would have to stand in front of him and fall apart inside while he did this. I wanted nothing more than to just fall apart alone and not looking upon his beautiful face while I did it. I knew though that he would never let me just walk out now. I looked up into his face and my treacherous tears began to flow faster down my face.

He closed the distance between us in one quick step. He placed his hand on the side of my face leaned in and kissed my tears away. "Aude, what is wrong my wife?" Just the sound of his words caused the tears to come faster and made my heart hurt. "Tell me what has caused you to be so upset and I will fix it. Just talk to me please; I do not have the pleasure of being able to read your thoughts. So I cannot possibly glean what the problem is if you do not tell me."

I just shook my head in the negative and pointed to the table, I was hoping that he would release me just long enough for me to make my escape while he read the letter. To no avail though he never released me, he just slid his hand down my face and arm and firmly clasped my hand in his and led me with him towards the table. I did not even bother to try and pull my hand from his I knew that if he was really determined I would never be able to escape his grasp; there was no escaping the inevitable now. He picked up the note and read through it slowly, the further he progressed through it though the angrier he became I could feel his anger radiating off of him. I shied away from that anger and tried to pull back from him but he had me firmly in his grasp and it was apparent that I was not going anywhere.

He gently laid the letter back down on the table. "SO!" he spat at me. "YOU WHERE JUST GOING TO LEAVE BECAUSE SOOKIE CALLED HERE TODAY! YOU WHERE JUST GOING TO RUN AWAY AGAIN BECAUSE YOU KNOW THAT I CARE FOR HER AND SHE FOR ME! YOU WERE NOT EVEN GOING TO DISCUSS IT WITH ME YOUR HUSBAND!!! YOU WERE JUST GOING TO STEP ASIDE IN SOME KIND OF ATTEMPT AT CHIVIRY AND HONOR BECAUSE YOU DID NOT WANT TO DISRUPT MY LIFE! FOR SOME REASON I DO NOT REMEMBER YOU BEING SO WILLFULLY STUPID BEFORE!" He grabbed me by both my arms and pulled me to his chest crushing me against him. He pressed his lips so hard against mine and gripped my arms so tightly that I knew I was going to have bruises later. His hands and body shook with anger and passion all mixed up into one huge glorious mess.

He reached up and wound my braid around his hand he used that new found control to steer me into turning around my ass pressed firmly against his body. I could feel his manliness pressed hard and firm against the small of my back. I squirmed against him with the excitement of the potential of that firmness, I couldn't help myself, and there was nothing I wanted more in this world but to spend forever, with him, making love. Even if it meant that later I would have my heart broken into a million pieces I knew I would willing give myself to him just because he desired it.

He forced my head to bend to the side so that my neck was stretched out in a long line of offering to him. He sucked and gently nibbled at my neck his free hand wrapped around my body and gently massaged my breasts through the wife beater I had absconded from him. The lack of bra made it much easier for him to have his way with my breasts without the hindrance of too much fabric between his probing fingers and myself. He kissed my neck harder and more urgently and when I finally let moans of excitement pass from my lips he sank his fangs into my neck hard and powerful but the pain only heightened the frenzy that I was already in. With every draw of blood that he took from me the louder I moaned and the more I rocked against his firm body.

Suddenly as it had started he stopped and whirled me back around to face him never letting go of my long braid. Although him using my braid to maneuver me about hurt, it also heightened the intense experience that was flowing between us. I let out another low moan and he just smiled down at me a dark look that said clearly he was thinking about all the ways he could have me and that right at that moment he was trying to pick out which one he wanted to do first. With his free hand he lifted me so that I had to wrap my legs around his waist but it was just low enough that I could feel his hard manhood pressed tightly against me through the loose shorts. He leaned me back and gently placed me on the glass table behind us. I was sitting on the edge of the table and he gently rocked me back and forth against him to the point where I knew I was ready to explode a powerful orgasm just for him.

He pulled away slightly and with his free hand, his other hand still being twined in my hair, he started to rip the my clothes away ever so gently, using both his hands and his teeth to tear and rip the fabric away. He leaned me back so that I was lying down completely on the table and slide my shorts off. In all the squirming and moving he had somehow managed to work his boxers down to the floor without me ever noticing. He placed the tip of himself just at my entrance and just stood there for a long moment I finally couldn't take it anymore and I started to squirm my hips forward so that his body could be buried deep inside mine.

I wanted nothing more than him inside of me right at this moment. His free hand grabbed my hip and held it firmly in place. "I am your husband!" he said firmly. "You are mine; you will promise me that you will never just run away from me again." I shook my head in acknowledgement, my mind was on a one way track and all I wanted at this moment was him inside of me, and I did not give a damn about the later consequences. I tried to squirm my hips forward again but he pressed again on my hip pinning it firmly in place. "SAY IT!" He demanded.

"YES!" I moaned at him.

"NO!" He said, "Say that you are my wife and that you will never leave me again." He yanked my hair just the tinniest bit so that I was partly sitting up and his tip just barely entered me.

"I am your wife do with me what you will, I will follow every command you give to me as a good wife should." I moaned.

"Good girl," he whispered. He gently laid me back down on the table so that I was spread out before him, and he just looked down at me like I was the best meal he had ever seen placed on this table, and maybe I was, I mean really how many actual meals could he have eaten at this table, my guess was that it was just for show. He released my braid and even that caused a moan to escape my parted lips. He just smiled at me. He ran his hands down the length of my body his hands felt like they were burning pathways of pleasure down my sides. Just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore he entered me hard and fast my body poured forth the orgasm that had been building with that one simple thrust I screamed out my pleasure my back lifting up and off of the table. I heard him laugh he was clearly pleased with himself and the gods know that I was nothing but pleased with him entirely at this moment.

His body found a slow steady rhythm and I could feel another orgasm building inside of me. Some movement of my body must have indicated my oncoming orgasm, because Eric grabbed my hair and yanked it slightly saying "Wait, not yet." I was suddenly completely focused on listening to him obeying his edict to me. Just when I thought I could not take it anymore that I was going to burst regardless of if willed it or no I was going to have my orgasm, he said "Now." in a low throaty growl. The flood gates released and I screamed my orgasm into the heavens and I felt his accompany right along with mine.

Just as the last of it was ebbing away he pulled out of me suddenly dropped to his knees and bit the inside of my thigh. My body rocked again with another instant orgasm as he slowly, lazily fed from me. After a moment he gently released my thigh and licked at the wound. The movement of his tongue started to build another orgasm and he knew it he flicked me just once a quick little movement and it spilled forth into his mouth and he ate up every last drop.

He gently lifted me up off the table and carried me back down the stairs to his bedroom and laid me on his bed. He climbed onto the bed and partly collapsed on top of me his head resting on my breast. He wound his arms around me and just held me our bodies trembling from the extreme pleasure we had just experienced together. He lifted his head and kissed my lips gently just the lightest most chaste of kisses. "You taste of honey, mead and home." He said licking his lips, caressed the side of my face and kissed me again. We had another round of love making but this time it was more tender and less urgent. We simply just explored each other bodies slow and lazily.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

We ended up in the huge bathtub upstairs gently washing each other getting all the sweat and sex off the other. He unbound my hair and began the long process of washing it. His every movement was so tender and loving that I sighed deeply with contentment. We simply laid there in the warmth of the water holding each other for a long time my back pressed against his chest his face buried in the hair at the top of my head.

"I know you love her and she you." I said.

He became very still at my back I could practically hear the wheels turning in his head trying to figure out how to respond. I gently pulled away from his mind I wanted him to express whatever he wanted to vocally and not listen in, plus, I did not want to leap to any conclusions from his flying thoughts. I had already proven that just listening in and jumping to conclusions did not really work out positively. After what felt like forever he said carefully. "I care a great deal about her yes. If she feels the same I do not know she has never directly expressed that she loved me."

"She loves you and you know that she does, I know that you can feel it, especially when she is near you."

Another long pause and then "Yes, I do know it. You are correct the bond we share makes it so that I feel everything."

"You feel the same way for her, even though you have never said it to her, you too feel the exact same way and just as you know her mind on it she knows yours. She just does not let on that she does. She feels your emotions very strongly, much more strongly than she cares for or even dares to admit in fear of your reaction."

He was stunned into silence for a long time. "I am not sure what you are wanting me to say wife."

I smiled and laughed at that. "I have been gone a long time Eric, I do not blame you that you have finally found someone after all this time. In all this time you have never truly loved another until now. I meant what I said in the letter I was going to leave for you. It would probably be best if you just pretended that I never showed my face to you last night. If you just continued down the path that you have laid before you, I am not supposed to be here, I was never meant to be here. If I had never showed up last night you would be with your Sookie right now comforting her through whatever crisis that she is having.

"I do not want to force you to choose between myself and Sookie; and although the idea of you being with her makes me see red; I want your life to be what it should be if I had never came here. Ruby Anne had told me that I should not have come but I refused to listen to her, she was right though and I should have listened. My coming here just disrupted your life. It could potentially skew your future into a direction it was never meant to take.

"I know I should just get out of this tub and walk away right now but … I cannot … I love you too much, and deep down I am a selfish creature. I know that the only way for me to be able to leave you now is for you to order me away. Eric, as much as it pains me to say this because I never want to leave your side again, order me away and to never return. Go back to your Sookie, build your empire, live your life and love her as if I never returned to you. Sooner or later the memories of this time will fade away for you and you can move on and be happy."

After a long moment of silence he said, "Turn around Aude, look me in my eyes."

I shook my head. "I cannot, not if you are only going to order me away. I could not bear it; I could not stand to see your face while you bid me go."

"Turn around wife." He said more gently. I slowly turned and faced him and noticed his face was streaked with his red tears. They had flowed so fast and so frequently that his chest was spattered with them. All that red stood out so vividly against his pale skin I automatically reached up and gently washed the tears away it pained me to see them. He reached up and held my face. "Open your mind to me, I know you have shut down the connection, I can feel it closed up and locked tight. I want you not only to hear my words but I want you to hear their honesty in my head."

I just nodded once and slowly let my guards down; I was suddenly washed away in a flood of emotions I swayed with the sudden rush of them all. "Focus." He said. I centered in on his words and felt his own emotions focusing as well. "I have done many great evils during my time walking this earth. For the longest time I did them because I thought that I enjoyed them but after a time, a long time, I realized that I did them because I had nothing more to care about in this world, so why bother being good when I was so obviously a creature of pure evil. I lost you and our son that you had bore me. I was abducted and converted into this thing you see before you. Our other children went to my parents after I had disappeared and I knew that I could never see them again.

"When they died, I snuck away from Apias and attended there send offs into Valhalla. I was never certain how I knew that they were going to die, but I did. After they were gone there was nothing left tying me to my humanity and I was even more of a wild savage thing than I had ever been in my life.

"When I met Sookie I knew she was powerful and I wanted to possess her even though I knew she was Bill's. She was nothing more than an asset I wished to acquire at first. I maneuvered her into being bound to me by blood hoping that pure sexual attraction would be enough to steal her away from Bill and yet still she would not relent to me. I was baffled, than that witch stole my memoires and I was forced to have Sookie wait on me like I was some kind of invalid.

"It wasn't until I was stripped down to nothing more than the man I had been when we were last together that she finally softened to me. After a time I remembered all this and I knew that the only way she would ever truly be mine was if I maneuvered her into seeing me as the human I used to be when I was yours. The whole time though I played with her life so that she was much unhappy with the other men that were seeking her attentions. I made sure she knew things about Bill that would wound her so deeply she could not stand to look on him anymore.

"I knew that Bill had never told her because he had truly fallen in love with her. I arranged for Quinn's mother to escape from the hospital so that his obligations to them would take priority over her, although in retrospect I wish I would not have done that it cost us many lives here in Louisiana because that was the catalyst for the takeover. She felt unwanted by him just like I knew she would if he failed to contact her for so long. I made sure that Bill would sabotage the budding relationship she had developing with Sam by suggesting that he show up at her work to pick up the bartender that I had lent to him.

"She will move on it will not even be hard for her. Even now because I didn't go to her look at where she has gone, I can almost see her; hear her; through our connection if I really concentrate. I neglect her for just one night and she turns to the arms of another. She is not high maintenance not really but well although she loves me in ways; she would much prefer to be in the company of someone whom she does not, deep down, consider to be evil incarnate." He sent his power down and out and found Sookie. I could almost see her hear her just like he said and I found her to be with, whom I could only assume was Bill. I could feel Sookie fear and panic but it was minor, and just being with Bill was helping to sooth her worries away.

"They really are perfect for each other, well I take that back, if I had to choose one of her many suitors I would choose Quinn but I think I might have done to good of a job at ruining that relationship to ever have a chance at repairing it. She does not desire to ever become a vampire she just wants to get married settle down and have babies. She can never have that with me or Bill, but for my own selfish reasons I prevented it from happening for her. Her love for me is what allowed me to feel for her. And although in truth she is the first woman I have truly loved sense you died. The love I feel for her pales in comparison to the true love I feel for you. If I just leave Sookie alone, perhaps maneuver a few pieces here and there so that she and Quinn cross paths again on a regular basis she would forgive him and allow herself to fall for him again. Sookie has a very forgiving heart and she will forgive almost every indiscretion if presented with a plausible explanation. She truly believes in the goodness of people and Quinn has not really done anything extremely wrong towards her.

"You ask me to order you away so that my life can resume the natural course it was meant to take and I say my path is nothing more but a long chess game that I have manipulated for far too long. Besides," he grasped my face firmly between his hands so that I opened my eyes to look into his. "I could never order you away. I too am a selfish creature and I want nothing more than to be at your side for the rest of eternity. Until the moon falls from the sky and the sun burns the planet away. Sookie will move on I will see to it personally. So you want to do my will you want me to give you a command. I will, you are never to leave me again, as your husband I command you never leave my side."

I knew that he meant it with every fiber of his being he wanted me to be with him forever and eternity. He wanted nothing more than us to make love and spend time together and laugh together until the world ended. He wanted to turn me right now so that there couldn't even be the slightest chance of him ever loosing me. He leaned forward and I backed up as far as the tub would allow. His fangs popped out but this time the movement really did send chills of fear down my spine, instead of excite and thrill me. "I would much prefer to do this with your permission than by force." He said advancing slowly on me.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

I opened and closed my mouth trying to think of some excuse as to why this could not happen right now. He inched closer and closer to me and I placed one hand on his chest. "Eric, wait you cannot do this not yet."

"Why not my wife, I am here, you are here, you are more fragile than you can possibly understand, and I will not lose you again because I hesitated."

I pushed a little more firmly on his chest trying to focus on all the reasons that he had to wait. It was very hard to focus though; he was running his hands gently up and down my thighs. My mind started wandering in the direction of sex instead of the logical explanations why I could not be turned at that moment.

"Do you not desire me?" he asked a small smile on his lips.

"Of course I do, that is not the issue." I said flustered.

"Do you not want this," He grabbed my hand that had been resting on his chest and lead it down to encircle his rather ample manhood. "for the rest of eternity? I know that you do, I know that you want nothing more than to be mine forever. I can feel your desire beating against me." He leaned forward and gently licked my shoulder. "I can taste it on your skin, every pore oozes with your utter unbending desire to be with me and me alone."

My breath was becoming faster and more ragged; I knew there was a reason that I should stop him. "What about Hallow and what she did to me." I breathed against his hair.

"That witch is dead and gone she cannot harm you further besides," he repositioned slightly and slowly slid one finger into me. "if I could I would thank her for returning you to me."

I threw my head back as I felt my excitement building into more. "What if my powers go away when I am turned? Do you not find them to be a useful tool to wield?" That sentence was a lot easier to think than to say out loud. The pressure between my legs was building to the point where I was ready to explode but I knew that this particular point was one that Eric might just might hesitate over.

"You are no one's tool wife, especially not mine. Besides it is safer that no one ever knows the fact that you seem to be able to read my mind and maybe others of our kind." He repositioned his fingers and started moving faster and that was all she wrote for me I threw my head back in ecstasy and just as I was about to scream out my pleasure for him he kissed me and I screamed it into his mouth. He swallowed it down like it was a fine wine. He kissed down my chin and gently made his way to my neck and bite and I knew that this was it he would not stop until I was ready to cross over.

I suddenly got my reprieve when the door burst open, and we both turned towards the unexpected interruption. There in the door way stood Pam and surprisingly Bill. Pam looked from me to Eric and smiled. Bill just glowered at Eric clearly disgusted. "AWWW, you have a new pet Eric, does this mean that Sookie is out of the picture?" Pam asked.

But before Eric could respond Bill burst out and said. "**HOW COULD YOU, I CAME HERE BECAUSE SOOKIE WAS WORRIED TO DEATH ABOUT YOU! SHE WAS CONVINCED THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG AND YET HERE I FIND YOU LAID UP WITH SOME CHEAP LADY OF ILL REPUTE. AFTER ALL YOU HAVE DONE IN ORDER TO WIN HER! HOW COULD YOU THROW SOOKIE AWAY LIKE THIS, FOR SOME CHEAP WHORE?**" He said gesturing wildly at me.

I could feel the muscles in Eric's chest coil ready to spring into action and rip Bill's throat out. I dipped into Eric's thoughts carefully and my fear was confirmed he fully intended to rip Bill's throat out and rip him limb from limb for his insults. I threw my thoughts towards Pam and found only mild amusement there, she knew that Bill was about to get hurt and badly and she didn't really care. I rolled my eyes shoot; I did not want to deal with Vampire temper tantrums. I moved my hand up Eric's side to his face and made him look at me. "Don't Eric, we will explain, it is not worth it and it would hurt Sookie if you kill this man regardless of what little relationship she has with him." I could feel the shock of both Pam and Bill pounding against me from the other side of the room. Well that answered that question it wasn't just Vampires directly tied to Eric by blood that I could "hear."

I turned to Pam. "I suggest you take Mr. Compton to the living room before he meets an untimely end and wait for us there." She just looked at me unbelievingly that I had just given her an order.

"I don't know who you are blood bag but …"

"PAM YOU WILL OBEY HER AS IF IT WAS ME GIVING YOU THE ORDER DIRECTLY! AS YOUR MAKER I ORDER YOU TO OBEY HER." Pam just shrugged and looked at Bill and started to lead him from the room. Bill threw a puzzled glance over his shoulder at me and shook his head. Pam gently shut the door behind them.

Eric buried his head between my breasts and wrapped his arms around my waist shaking. I thought he was shaking with the contained rage that had built up inside him. I was partly right at least I soon found out as he pulled me onto his lap and slid himself deep inside me.

I whispered in his ear. "They will hear. I do not want that."

"Let them listen, I do not care, besides," he licked my neck where he had created the wound. "I have to put myself in a better mood if you do not wish me to kill that bastard for speaking of you in such a way." He rocked me gently back and forth guiding my hips in just the right motion and I no longer cared what Pam and most especially Bill thought of this.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Eric was helping me back into the fluffy white robe that hung on the back of his bathroom door. I really needed to do something about getting some clothes. As if reading my mind Eric said. "After our meeting with Pam and Bill I will send Pam to fetch your things from wherever you where staying at." I nodded once at him and remembered that I had been able to pick up on Bill's emotions. Eric was just reaching for the door to open it when I touched his arm gently to get him to look at me. "Grab the brush I don't know where you keep it." He looked down at me quizzically but moved across the room towards the cabinet.

He bent forward and grabbed the brush and as he turned around I was there pressed firmly against him. I stood on tip toe so that my lips where right next to his ear. I kissed his lobe gently and breathed quietly. "Do you think they can hear me if I talk to you just like this?" He shook his head just the tinniest of movements letting me know that they could not hear me. I went down onto my heels and then back up on my tip toes, standing in that position is not the easiest of things to do. Without a word to me Eric lifted me up and my legs automatically wrapped around his waist. He took the one step forward and pressed my back against the cabinets a little more noisily than necessary to my thoughts. But then I realized that he was making the noise intentionally for the other vampires in the house so that there was an explanation as to why we had not come out of the bathroom yet though we were clearly out of the tub.

He kissed my neck and I had to focus very hard not to allow myself to become distracted by that kiss. "What is it my wife." He whispered just as quietly in my ear.

"I could hear Bill's thoughts too, when him and Pam came in and I could feel his emotions. I do not think it is just Vampires that are bound to you by blood. Look," I put both my hands on his face and concentrated after all he had guided me through his thoughts to his connection with Sookie could I not do something similar with him after all I had established a link with him before so that he could hear me even though I was not in the room with him. I sent our conciseness's out into his living room and there was Bill and Pam. Pam was sitting very still watching Bill, but Bill was anything but still he was pacing relentlessly back and forth across Eric's living room. I focused on Bill and his thoughts and emotions swept over us in a wave almost pulling us both under. This guy had issues, he tormented himself quite thoroughly for just being what he was, and not to mention all his problems he had with Sookie. I heard Eric gasp as the thoughts where washing him away but so did the Vampires in our living room they both looked up and towards the hallway. "Sshh." I whispered in his ear. I gently disengaged from Pam and Bill pulling myself away from the living room and back into our bodies.

Eric's eyes fluttered open and he smiled at me, "That was amazing wife." I could catch the double entendre in those words. He meant that the actual act we had just done was an amazing experience while letting the others think we had been having sex again. I just nodded once at him. He leaned forward and breathed into my ear. "I know that you are relived that Pam stopped me from turning you but now more than ever I know beyond a doubt that you have to be turned before anyone finds out. Say nothing to either of them about what you can do. If you need to tell me something while we are speaking to them grab my hand and feed it to me as you have just done and I will do the same."

I nodded once, "What are we going to tell them?" I whispered.

He rolled his eyes and shrugged. "I will, wing it." He said I looked at him confused. "It is a modern term; it means I will just go with it as it comes to me." I nodded again, he kissed me softly. "JAG älska du fru. (I love you wife.)"

"JAG älska du alltför man. (I love you too husband)" he gently set me down wrapped my hand firmly in his and lead me out into the living room to face the curious Vampires.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

We walked hand and hand out into Eric's huge living room, he lead me the whole way gently guiding me around the obstacles of the room. I could feel both Bill and Pam freeze instantly at our presence. We walked around and to the front of Eric's rather large white couch, Eric moved his head to the side at Pam indicating that she need to move her uppity but into another spot somewhere else in the room. Pam rolled her eyes and huffed making a huge production out of having to move. Good Gods what a baby I thought. And I saw the corners of Eric's mouth pick up the slightest bit at the sides in amusement. Oh, I had broadcasted that loud and clear at him. He moved his head a fraction of an inch at me indicating he had heard me. I thought at him, "I will try and be more careful." Another small nod. He gently sat me down on the couch and joined me there, molding himself against him. Putting one arm around my shoulder and taking his other hand and placing them over my hands that I had folded in my lap.

I slowly opened up my connections into the room, not only my direct link to Eric so he could get a sense of things just as much as I could, but so that we could anticipate how Pam and Bill where reacting to things we said to them. I thought at Eric, "Got it?" he nodded again. Bill was full of venom and hate and not just for Eric but for me as well, this was something I just did not understand. I picked and prodded and finally found what I was looking for flashing like a neon sign he knew that this was going to hurt Sookie very deeply. Eric just sighed and there was a flash of regret there in him, he didn't want to hurt the girl either but when he made up his mind that was the end of it. In him he knew that between Sookie and me there was no choice, it made my heart well with love for him and sadness for Sookie at what she was going to lose.

He looked at Pam and said, "Why have you disturbed me in my home? Did I bid you come here and interrupt me?"

She looked at him and then at me and back to Eric. "Sookie was worried." She said simply.

Eric opened his mouth to start to explain but Bill cut him off. "And she had every right to be from the look of things when we came in here. We find you shaking up with this harlot abandoning your vows to Sookie or have you forgotten that. Maybe your vows to her never meant a thing. Maybe you are not as innocent as you pretend to be with her. She threw me to the side over everything with Lorenna and you know it, why would you do the same thing to her? After everything she has been through you abandon her for this fang-banging whore."

Eric was up off the couch and across the room in the blink of an eye; he grabbed Bill by his throat and lifted him up off the ground. Shit this was not good. "Eric." I said quietly I sent soothing thoughts at him. "Put him down and join me, I am getting cold without you at my side." For a long moment I did not think he was going to listen. I thought at him furiously just come back, just come back. He will understand soon enough, he looked over his shoulder and thought at me. "_**HE HAS INSULETED YOU!**_" His thoughts where all snarly and hateful but I read them loud and clear. I opened my mouth and said. "But, the insult was not done to you it was done to me and I will deal with it." He scowled at me and slowly put Bill back down on the ground and rejoined me on the couch. Just like that the crisis had been averted I took a deep sigh of relief.

Bill rubbed his throat; Eric must have hurt him more than I thought he had. Pam just looked at me a look of complete disbelief on her face. "Mr. Compton, Pam, please have a seat and we will explain everything to you." I smiled at them trying to look as unthreading as possible.  
"Not that I owe either of you an explanation." Eric growled.

The two vampires just stood there for a long moment. I smiled at them both and waved my hand slightly at the other seats in the room. "Please. Sit. I am sure this seems odd to you. I mean honestly it most likely appears that I have control over your sheriff and you are concerned." Pam just shrugged and walked to the nearest chair and delicately placed herself in it. But I could still feel her concern at the mysterious connection between Eric and me. She truly loved Eric in her own way.

Bill opened his mouth and I could feel the torrents of insults lingering right there on the tip of his tongue ready to spit at me. I felt Eric tense next to me. "I suggest, Mr. Compton that you treat me with a smidge more respect then you have shown me thus far. I may have been able to stop Eric once from ripping your throat out but I assure you if you say anything else hateful to me I will not be able to stop your sheriff from punishing you.

"Now, I understand why you are so upset. You love Sookie and you know that this will hurt her but I assure you once you hear the explanation you will not only understand why Eric has done what he has done but you would have done the exact same thing in his situation. Not to mention the fact that I know that you will be much remorseful for the way you have spoken to me this night. Not because of anything that Eric has done but because I think you are the kind of man who knows that treating a woman the way you have treated me, especially one who is innocent in all this, is not the honorable thing to do here. Don't you agree?"

Bill nodded once at me, I felt like I had just scolded a child and I could feel Eric's amusement at that thought next to me. "Now please sit, listen, you will understand I assure you." Bill walked to the chair directly across from us and sat down. He was stiff and thinking furiously that there was no explanation that could possibly be good enough to excuse Eric's behavior but he had been wrong in insulting me and he knew it. For this and this alone he would listen.

I sighed deeply and looked up at Eric and thought. "Do you want me to tell them or do you think it would be better coming from you?" He thought about that for a second and then gestured me to tell them. He thought "_Bill will never take me at my word he does not trust me as far as he could throw me_." I just smiled at him and turned back to the waiting Vampires. They had not missed the little exchange between Eric and me.

"My name is Aude daughter of Ivar, I was born in a small village in the country that is now known as Sweden. I died in childbirth when I was," I looked at Eric and raised an eyebrow at him. He thought about that for a second and said out loud. "Twenty four I think." I just nodded at him and turned back to Pam and Bill they were both looking cautious and curious at Eric and I now. "I was married in my former life before I died, to a great man and I loved him very much I vaguely recollect that all together I bore him six children," I felt Eric nod in the affirmative next to me. "After I died my husband was converted to a vampire, this I did not know until recently. I was brought back into this world just over a year ago by a coven of witches, I believe that both of you are familiar with them. Her name was Hallow."

They both froze for an instant. "Impossible." Bill said, but he didn't sound convinced.

"I would say that I wish you were right, there is many things that I do not remember about the time I was previously alive. But, I assure you, that woman Hallow, made me alive again, she locked me in the basement of her covens home. I escaped only because you all attacked the home. At the time of your attack she was preparing a spell of some kind." I looked at Pam "Do you remember this?"

"I do." She nodded.

"Although I am not exactly sure what the spell was or what it was intended to do, the coven of witches that saved me, the ones that you fought along with during what you call the Witch War, figures it had something to do with luring Eric to them. Perhaps using me against him in some manner. We seem to be connected somehow, much stronger than we ever where when we were first husband and wife." I looked up at Eric and he nodded once agreeing with me. "I know that you think I somehow am controlling your sheriff but I assure you I am not, well, I take that back, I am only controlling him so far as a wife can control her husband whom she loves very much and for that love he listens." I felt Eric gently kiss the top of my head. I just closed my eyes and smiled at that little gesture. Plus it helped Pam and Bill have some time to let the tumult of their thoughts settle and decide if I was telling the truth before I moved on.

I could feel their thoughts calming and I opened my eyes and looked at them. "Now, I assure you Mr. Compton, my husband does love Sookie very much. I have seen it with my own eyes." I looked at Pam. "Do you remember Pam, from the other night?" She cocked her head at me slightly trying to figure out what I was asking of her.

"You are the girl that ran to me at the club, babbling on about how he is love with someone else and how sorry you where that you ran into me." She pushed her eyebrows together remembering something else I had been very familiar with her that night. I used her name and acted as if I knew her. She looked up at Eric and I we both moved our heads just a fraction of an inch saying don't.

I looked back at Bill, fortunately he had been looking at Pam during that silent exchange between us and Pam. "Although I knew Eric loved Sookie, I had no choice but to reintroduce myself to him. I have almost no memories of when I was previously alive. Eric is one of the few that I do possess. I think that Hallow did this on purpose. My own selfishness is responsible for the hurt that Sookie will undoubtedly feel. I tried to leave when I realized just how selfish I was being and how unfair it was not only to Sookie but to Eric to just come in and expect him to give up the path he was on with this girl, the first person he has truly loved sense me I might add. It was not fair. I wrote him a note saying goodbye and that I wanted him to move on with Sookie. He caught me before I left." I pointed over at the note that was on the floor next to the table. "It is there if you wish to read it, I do not mind."

Bill looked from me to Eric, and slowly rose and walked across the room and picked up the note. His eyes scanned the lines over and over again, I could feel the loving and painful words I wrote there whirling in his head. He set the note on the table and just stared at it. I asked gently. "What would you do Mr. Compton? What if your wife whom you loved so much during your human life was suddenly returned to you? Regardless of the fact that you where dating someone else or not, I think you would go to her and be with her. Do you agree?"

He nodded once, his back still to me. I could see him reaching into his pants pocket, he pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at his eyes. "Now maybe," I said. "Eric and I have not gone about dealing with things the correct way but can you really blame us? He is my husband and I love him very much. He bid me stay and I stayed. I know that this is not the way of the world now, as my mentor Ruby Anne told me time and time again but I come from a time when my husband's word was law. But even if I was not compelled to obey him for that reason I would just because I love him more than I have words to express. I do not wish to leave his side. I am sorry this will hurt yours and Eric's Sookie but what would you have done if the roles were reversed and you where sitting here in Eric's position?"

He turned and looked at me. "I would have done nothing differently. I understand completely, if I would have heard this explanation from Eric's mouth I would never have believed him. But I know you are telling the truth. You do not know me and have no reason to lie to me; I see the tenderness in your note putting Sookie before yourself regardless of how much that was obviously going to hurt you. Besides Eric has worked too hard to attain Sookie to just throw her away for nothing. I can't possibly see the advantage that he would have by undertaking such foolishness in engaging with you." He looked ashamed for a moment and looked down at his shoes. "And I find myself needing to apologize to both you Aude and you Eric for insulting you both so egregiously."

I stood and Eric pulled at my hand. I looked down at him and thought "_It will be alright_." I walked across the room and stood directly in front of Bill. I placed one hand gently on the side of Bill's face and made him look up at me. I could feel that he was startled by this contact most humans shied away from him. "William, there is nothing to forgive, although your words were very hateful you said them out of love for Sookie. You meant no insult not really; if you would have not just reacted you would have never behaved in such an ungentlemanly manner. I also admire the fact that you and Pam came her simply because you were worried about your sheriff. Although you were worried for very different reasons you were still concerned." I leaned up and kissed his cheek softly and quickly before he could react.

I slid my hand from his face to the palm of his hand and led him back to his seat turned and resumed my spot next to Eric. When I was seated and snuggled tight up against his side. I said. "Now we must figure out a way to deal with Sookie. I do not wish for her to be in any more pain then absolutely necessary because of all of this, after all none of this is in any way her fault."

Bill looked at me for a long moment, I could tell that he was trying to determine if I was telling the truth or not, he just nodded. I said. "I will have to give this some thought, but I think it will start with Eric being mysteriously called away without explanation. Perhaps you all can think on a plausible explanation for that. I know little of Vampire politics and what would be so urgent that he would leave without a word to her. To be honest that will be something that I will leave to you and Pam to discuss later."

I could feel Pam's anxiousness she had a score of questions that she wanted to ask but she did not want the answers from me. I indicated this to Eric and he looked over at Pam. "Do you have something to ask Pam?"

I closed my eyes and just snuggled up closer against Eric. I could tell that Pam was very anxious to speak freely in front of me so I did something very non-threatening to make her feel at ease. I pretended to fall asleep, Eric stroked my hair and I could feel his approval washing over me he gently kissed the top of my head again. "Well," Pam's voice rolled across the living room hushed just the smallest bit she obviously bought my rouse. She did but I could feel Bill laughing on the inside he knew I was faking it. He approved but he knew he spent more time with humans then Pam did and I was not fooling him for a minute. He was not about to tell her that though. "I wonder, sheriff if you have considered what you were going to do with your…. wife now that she is returned to you? Are you going to leave us until she lives out her newly returned human life?"

Eric held very still for a long moment and said. "No I have no intentions of leaving, although I think I will, what is the new slang; take some much earned vocation time." He laughed. "I know that you are more than capable of running my area for me for a short time and I trust you to do this Pam. As far as what I intend to do with my wife, I will turn her, if you and Bill had not interrupted she would be turned now."

"Forgive me but do you think that wise?" Pam asked.

I could feel Eric's rage start to build and I thought soothing thoughts at him and told him "_Just listen to what she has to say._" He slowly relaxed against me and kissed the top of my head again in a silent thank you. "Why is it that you say that?" he asked.

I could feel her startlement, she knew that Eric had been about to threaten her or yell at her but his reaction was one of calm. I could feel her look from him to me and back to him. Oh, she did not like that new reaction one little bit. She saw it as weakness and the source was clearly me. I showed all this to Eric. "**PAM!**" bellowed at her. "Say whatever it is that you have to say I am only listening to you out of courtesy for our connection and nothing more. I will do whatever I want whenever I want do you understand this?"

I felt the tension in her ease away and I let go of my own tension at that. "Yes sheriff." She said and bowed her head.

"Well." Eric said abruptly. "Say your peace woman."

"Well, I was wondering, what if Hallow's magic's that allowed your wife to come back react badly with our magic and won't allow her to be crossed over."

"I hate to say this Eric, but I agree with Pam, what if she's right, your wife would have died at your hands tonight and I know that is something you would never have forgiven yourself for." Bill said.

"I had never thought about it." Eric said clearly bewildered he wasn't the only one. I had not thought about that either having been too eager to please him.

"I think," Eric said after a long moment that we need Hallow's spell book Pam. We need to search for the spell that brought her here and take it to the coven that has been caring for Aude over the last year. Perhaps they can help us figure out the very question that you ask. Besides I wanted to have a word with them anyways. For one I would like to thank them for keeping her safe but I find myself very irritated that they didn't tell me she was returned here in fact they discouraged her from coming to my side again. She has shared with me that she thought that if they could have figured out the means they would have sent her back without ever cluing me in. I find that positively irritating." I tensed I knew there was going to be no talking him out of this. I just sighed internally.

"But we will discuss all this more tomorrow. Pam I need you to fetch some suitable clothes for Aude and I need you to bring me that spell book we have locked away."

"Would you like this to be done tonight?" She asked, I had expected her to be annoyed at the requests but she wasn't she was just glad to help and serve Eric.

"No," he said. "tomorrow come. Actually, Bill will you please bring the clothes after you rise and leave them here in the living room. I know that you own that clothing store and will be able to find something suitable for her. But, open the door set in the clothes and leave understand?"

"Yes sheriff." Bill said shortly.

"Pam after the club closes I should be more … up for a visit, come then. Understood?"

"Yes sheriff." She said but I could feel the amusement in her voice and her thoughts. Eric was trying to be subtle that he would want to have some more alone time with me tomorrow before having to deal with everything else. He did not want us to be interrupted again. I almost laughed until I saw the lustful thoughts racing through his head of us in various positions and doing various things all around the house. "Go" he said his voice deeper with the arousal that those thoughts had brought to the surface. "Return tomorrow."

They both said "Yes Sheriff." Simultaneously and left. The door had barely clicked shut when he was on me kissing me, unfastening my robe, massaging my breast. I just gave in to the pleasure of it all; there would be plenty of time later to worry about everything else. For right this moment all I wanted to do was just be here, with Eric, in love, and making love. Tomorrow we would deal with all the rest. For now all we needed or wanted was each other and that was enough for me.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The half-man half-wolf form slowly progressed towards me across the dimly lit cellar. He started to talk in that strange language that I had heard the others speaking over me earlier. He stopped half way across the room and looked at me and laughed. He pointed at his face and then at me, I got the distinct impression that he was telling me that he owed me one. I screamed and dared to turn my back on him, moving left along the cold wall, trying to find something, anything to defend myself or any means of escape. I heard him laugh again but I would not look back I had to find a way out of this madness that I had somehow found myself in.

He was just toying with me though he let me scramble my way around the room, and thinking about it I should have known he was only herding me like I was a sheep. When he had me exactly where he wanted me he pounced. I had not seen the steel manacles embedded in the wall above me. In seconds he was on me. Grasping and pawing at my naked body, lifting me up and stretching me, and forcefully putting my hands in the manacles. I tried to fight I kicked and tried to bite but he was impossibly quick and unbelievably strong. He pressed his furred body against my back and I could feel that he was more than happy to be pressed against my nakedness. I screamed again and thrashed uselessly at the chains that held me securely in place but this only excited him more.

He said something in that guttural odd language again and pulled away from me. I thought for one moment thank you gods he is going to leave. The room became very still and after I thought for sure that he was gone I risked a small glance in the direction I had felt him move, squirming just the tinniest bit so that I could actually see part of the room and to my horror I saw that he hadn't left the room at all. He had just walked across it to a hidden panel and opened it to revel various sharp weapons that where clearly meant for torture. I could see him fiddling with some contraption, he turned a small circle on the side of it and flame shot out of the top, he placed a very long dagger into that flame.

I started thrashing at the chains that held me again. I could not just wait for him to use that on me. I had to fight but the whole time I fought I found that I could not look away from the slow progression of the blade heating up and turning from black to red to finally white because the metal was so hot. How he managed to hold the hilt of the dagger when it was so hot I could not understand but he was and now he was slowly progressing across the room with that white hot blade in his hands. I screamed at him pleading hoping my words would make some kind of difference. "Nej , Nej , Nej , icke gör det behaga vid alla God's i himmel icke gör det gör den här.( No, No, No, don't please by all the God's in heaven don't do this.)"

He just laughed and shook his head, the way he moved towards me though was not like a man preparing to torture but a slow loving progression towards someone who has never been your lover before and you want to build the anticipation by being exceptionally sexy. "Nej, Nej, Nej. (no, no, no)" I cried I could feel my hot tears streaming down my face. He grabbed my hair and yanked my neck backwards so that I was arched back into a painful half circle position so that I could see his face more clearly. His whole body quivered and blurred at the edges, it was like he was forcing his inner beast down so that it did not come out further. He slowly bent forward and licked the tears off my face in one slow movement that clearly excited him. Now that he was so close I could feel his manhood poking my back and ass every now and then. I tried to pull away and he just yanked harder on my hair. I let loose a scream from the pain, when I had quieted he had a sick smirk on his face and said. "mmmm" now that I understood loud and clear. He was excited by my fear and continues attempts to escape. I closed my eyes quieted my body, and when I thought I could remain calm, I opened my eyes and looked at him dead in the face.

He yanked at my hair and ground his man hood against my back as best he could with me bent in this odd position but not one word or sound escaped my lips. I knew that I should not do it but if I was going to die here at this man's hands only after he had violated me I was going to get my opinion of him across as loud and clear as I could. I aimed and spit, my aim was true because it hit him right in his eyes, he screamed something that I could only take as a curse and he released my hair, to wipe away my spit, and with such force that my head flung forward into the wall that was only inches away from me. My forehead connected with the wall and everything went black for a split second I was stunned from the sudden and forceful blow. I would later wish that I had stayed that way.

I shook my head back and forth trying to clear the fuzziness out of my head; I could feel the hot stream of blood burning its way down my face dripping into my eyes and down my cheeks. He grabbed my hair again and laughed, he mashed my face roughly against the cool stone of the wall in front of me. He leaned into me and I could feel that he was positioning himself to enter me, I tried to move away but he put that white hot knife right next to my face. I knew I could either let him do this or get that knife shoved in my eye; of the two I would much rather have the former. As he plunged into me from behind he whirled the knife and ran it quickly in three quick movements down my back. I screamed and didn't stop.

"AUDE! AUDE WAKE UP!" I could feel someone shaking me but the pain was so intense from the cuts that ran down my back that I could not focus on the words. The wolf-man bent down and ate at my wounds biting and tearing and licking them as he roughly did his work with his man hood below. "AUDE!!!" I felt another sharp shake. I snapped my eyes open and the room was completely dark. I sat very still expecting the wolf-man to pounce from the shadows at any moment. I felt a hand touch my shoulder gently from behind and I whirled, my heart in my throat, I had to fight that is all I knew, I would not let him do that to me again. I swung wildly at the dark shape that I could just see in front at me. My hands connected and I felt a chest, an arm, and last a chin. The shape wasn't moving forward towards me I must have stunned him. I scrambled across the bed to get away, I had to run and I was grabbed from behind and flying through the air backwards before my toes even touched the floor. I was pinned to the bed by a pair of strong firm hands and I screamed.

"Light's" the figure said, the room suddenly flared to life with a flood of light so bright that my eyes watered trying to adjust. When the tears finally cleared my eyes and I could see, I saw to my surprise not the crazed wolf-man but my Eric looking very concerned and a touch afraid for whatever was going on with me. In a flood the last few days came back to me and I flung myself at him and began to weep. He stiffened at first unsure if I was going to attack him again but after a moment he relaxed and wrapped me up in his strong powerful arms rocking me slightly and murmuring little meaningless nothings in my ear.

My sobs slowed but he kept on I could hear him softly singing a lullaby that he used to sing to our children as they drifted off to sleep. It was more of a prayer than a song really to the Gods to help keep our children safe and protected through the night and to keep the dread of nightmares at bay from their heads. I could see him sitting in front of a roaring fire rocking them in almost the exact same way singing to them. The sudden flash of memory startled me in to complete silence, I wasn't sure if I was getting his memory of his past or if I was remembering it for myself but there was something so comforting about being able to remember anything from my past and to have it be such a tender moment moved me.

I closed my eyes and just relaxed fully against him reveling in the warmth of the memory and the comforting sureness of his strong arms wrapped around me, I knew that with an absolute certainty that he would never let anything happen to me. I was safe and loved and I would stay that way as long I was here with him.

After a time he gently whispered, "Aude, what happened?"

"I had a nightmare or maybe it was a repressed memory but when you woke me I thought I was still there. I could still feel him." I shuddered; he moved his strong hands up and down my naked body trying to comfort me.

After another long moment he said. "Tell me?" it wasn't a demand but a request. I knew that if I said that I did not want to discuss it he would not push me but he wanted to know because he was truly concerned. I knew that he would keep me safe and that the boogie man in the dark recesses of my brain could not get me. I slowly related the nightmare to him pausing now and then when I could feel my fear threatening to wash me away into a full on panic attack. He sat very still during the whole tale every now and then I could feel his muscles beneath me tremble with anger but he forced his body to relax. This was not about him and he knew it. His only job was to listen and comfort me.

When I was done I must have been shivering because he pulled the large heavy comforter up off the bed and wrapped it around us. I had expected him to just wrap it around me because he did not feel cold but clearly there was no way he was going to let me get any further away from him than what I was right now. He kissed the top of my head and the back of my neck and for the first time I did not find myself trembling with desire for him at his kisses. I was just comforted and relaxed further against him. I unburied my face from the little nook I had made and moved my head to his shoulder.

For a long time we just sat there and it was exactly what I needed. "Aude?" he said gently.

"Hmm?" I murmured contentedly I could feel the edges of sleep pulling at me .

"Did this happen to you?" he asked softly.

"I do not know Eric, I have no real memories of that time I spent with them but you would think that if it did I would have some kind of marks left over but there is nothing. But… something inside me screams the ring of truth at me. The same thing with the other dream I had."

"What happened in that one?" he asked gently, I slowly went over the dream, it was much easier to retell this dream than the other one had been but I could see Hallow's wild eyes and the flashing knife. I shivered again and he pulled me tighter to him.

He grew silent for a long time, I could feel him thinking furiously but he was being very cautious so that I could not feel the emotions or see those racing thoughts. It was like he had slammed a door in my face, I could just make out the murmurs but not really understand what was going on behind it. To be honest at this moment I did not even really care. I was just grateful for the restfulness of being cradled in his large arms.

"Aude, I think we need to go to Ruby Anne. I had hoped to pour through the spell book for the next few days before we went to her coven. I wanted to know the exact spell Hallow had used to bring you here so that I wouldn't have to show the spell book to Ruby Anne. I wanted to be able to just describe it in a very abstract way to her so I could get information. That much power is very tempting to anyone and that spell book contains a lot of power. I want to know if these nightmares are just a side effect of the spell and didn't actually happen to you, if it was just Halo's sick twisted way at torturing you later. Or if it did happen and if we can find some way to push them back down away from your conscious mind again, I had fully intended to just ask her about the magics that brought you back and if they would interfere with your transition to a vampire but these nightmares concern me. Did you have any nightmares before you came back to me?"

I thought about that for a long time, "No, not that I can remember, I do not even remember dreaming at all before I came home to you."

He was quite for a long moment. "I figured as much" he sighed "if I am the cause of these dreams, memories, whatever they are, resurfacing I swear I will figure out how to rise Hallow and her brother from the grave as they did you and make them wish that that they were never born."

I shuddered against him; this fierceness in him scared me. He had always been a talented warrior but now after all this time he could be very blood thirsty and malicious and scary as hell and he knew it. He knew he was this biggest badest thing in the room and he would show it to anyone who he deemed necessary to be on the receiving end. Here was a man who would do anything for someone he loved without a second thought and brutality he used at times to make his point was of little consequence to him. He just did what he had to do and that was the end of it.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

All though this scared me, it also endeared me to him even more, I turned my face into him and kissed his chest, just light lingering kisses that expressed my gratefulness for him and his love and tenderness. He squeezed me tighter massaging the muscles in my body. I stretched so I could reach his neck; I nuzzled my nose and lips against the very edge where his neck met his shoulder. I lingered there smelling him taking him in to me with every breath.

His strong hands clenched and unclenched on my body and I could tell that he was containing the urge to just throw me backwards and ravage me. He let me do what I wanted, whatever I felt comfortable with, he did not want to scare me or harm me physically or mentally any more than I already was. This tenderness made my love for him sore to new heights. I turned in his arms so that I was sitting facing him. I gently kissed up his neck slow taking my time, I had not realized how almost silky his skin felt. It was soft and smooth, and I enjoyed kissing it.

I made my way to his jaw and gently kissed there, I could feel the small stubble that was always present on his face but instead of being rough and painful it too was soft, I rubbed my lips back and forth letting the hairs just tickle my lips. It was an extraordinary sensation. I made my way to his earlobe I did not want to neglect a single part of him. I was compelled to kiss every inch of him. His skin tasted so sweet and smelled so wonderful, it was like smelling home, you just know within yourself that this is home and that you belonged there.

I ran my lips along the edge of his earlobe and again I could feel the tiny little hairs that where there and every time I brushed them it was like little shocks of electricity ran through my body. The sensation was just wonderful that I never wanted it to end. I pulled the lobe into my mouth and sucked and nibbled and flicked with my tongue and teeth. The little shocks of electricity going off rapidly on the inside of my mouth. It reminded me of that odd candy that Ruby Anne had once given me pop rocks I think she called them. At the time the sensation scared me but now it just excited me further and urged me on.

Eric ran his hands up and down my back harder and faster in time with my pulling on his ear and with every stroke of his hand I could feel the electricity building in his fingertips. "Aude" he whispered in a rough voice, you could just hear his tension in trying to contain himself in that one word. "I do not know how much more I can take. I am trying very hard to be sensitive and loving and you are making it very hard not to throw you down and make love to you right now."

I gently released his ear but I could feel the electricity hanging in the air like a lightning storm looming on the horizon. "Can you not feel it?" I asked him. "How could you ever want that to stop?" I started to kiss his face again before he could answer me. I kissed his eyes and cheeks and nose and chin. With every touch of my lips a shock ran threw me compelling me on. And when I finally let our lips meet it was like fireworks exploded between us. For once I was the aggressor and I kissed him fiercely, I parted his lips with my tongue and every stroke of my tongue in his mouth urged those fireworks on harder and faster.

I place both of my hands on his chest and felt the electricity flaring to life there as well; the current ran back and forth across my fingertips on his chest. I gently pushed him backwards so that he lay flat on his back. I ran my fingers up and down his chest, I traced each rib, every muscle every hair on his strong large chest. I wiggled backwards so that I was in just the right spot and guided his length into me and I felt a fire explode inside of me. I threw my head back and let out a loud scream of pleasure and pain all at once. I gently slowly rode out that flame and just when I thought it was going to consume me whole I felt it burst forth down my body through my arms into my hands and then into Eric's chest where my hands rested on his chest. He too screamed a guttural sound of his own release but at the same time he clasped his chest. I felt a small flutter just as he released and then it stopped again.

We both stopped not only because we had both had our release but that flutter. I looked at him and he looked at me for a long moment. "Impossible." I said.

He sat up swiftly and kissed me hard. When he pulled back I could see red tears streaked his face. For a fraction of a second I was scared that I had hurt him or that he was scared but then the smile spread across his lips. He was grinning from ear to ear. "It hurt, but I know what that was and three days ago I would have agreed that it was impossible but after everything that has happened I can no longer say that." He flung me backwards so that I was underneath him.

I looked up into his face and he almost looked possessed with his giddiness. "You did that, your love is so powerful that it made my heart beat. Even if it was only for a second, it was wonderful and painful all at the same time and even if it never happens again you gave me that."

I shook my head back and forth "Nej, nej, nej, it is not possible Eric. How could I have done that?"

"Ja, ja, ja (yes, yes, yes) my love. I do not know nor do I care at this moment it will be one of the things that we discuss with Ruby Anne when we go and see her tonight or tomorrow." He cocked his head at me sideways. "Tomorrow, I think." He said smiling mischievously at me and kissed me again a long loving kiss. There was no sparks of electricity this time but it was just as good. His fangs slowly extended and he nicked my tongue not pulling away soon enough. He had been so careful the last few days not to cut my mouth while we kissed that is surprised me. I could taste the metallic flavor of blood well inside my mouth and his kisses became more frantic. He pulled at my tongue with his mouth powerfully and the sensation was wonderful.

He gently pulled away and looked down at me for a long moment. I could see the love for me glowing behind those eyes and my heart filled with that same love. I reached my hand up and caressed the side of his face gently. "JAG älska du min fru. (I love you my wife) You know this right?" He said fiercely.

"Of course, min man (my husband)." I said "JAG älska du alltför , mer än orden kanna express. (I love you too, more than words can express.)"

"I would meet the sun if something were to happen to you. I do not think I could take loosing you again."

"Well it is a good thing that I do not plan on ever leaving you again." I laughed. "Because the Gods know that you being turned into a pile of ash would be a waste of that beautiful body of yours." I smiled at him. He laughed in surprise, a long and beautiful sound that filled my heart with love and joy. For that laugh I would do anything.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Eric, and I where snuggling on the couch when Pam arrived from Fangatasia. We both jumped slightly when she came in. We had been so wrapped up in enjoying each other's company and talking about his past that we both completely lost track of time and forgotten that Pam would be showing up.

"Well isn't this cozy." She said sardonically crossing her arms over her belly. She was wearing a pastel pink fuzzy sweater, with a scoop neck that showed just the right amount of everything, a pair of the most perfect fitting tan slacks I had ever seen and the cutest pink pumps that matched the sweater perfect. She had a pink ribbon weaved in her hair holding back her blond locks from escaping in her face.

"Nice shoes Pam." I said.

She looked shocked at me for a moment and said. "I know right, I just love them, they where a present from Eric for the last pair that I ruined doing an errand for him. They got all dirty and bloody, there was no saving them." She pouted a bit.

Eric and I both laughed, Pam just scowled at us. "Aww young love how sickeningly sweet." She muttered.

I stood and stretched. "Actually if you think about it Pam, I am older than you and Eric and I have been in love for over a thousand years so it's anything and everything except young." I had to resist the urge to stick my tongue out at her, for some reason that was just the reaction I wanted to have. I made sure Eric's robe was securely in place and walked across the room to the bags of clothing that Bill had quietly slipped into the house at some point before Eric and I came upstairs. I could feel Pam scowling at me and I just ignored it. I dug through the bag trying to find something acceptable to wear. I had a sudden flash of thought and I started to laugh hysterically.

Eric and Pam both just stared at me and I just started laughing harder. "What?" Pam snapped finally.

"Well, if you think about, in a twisted kind of way I am your mom, and you should be more respectful of me young lady or I will ground you to your coffin." I looked up at Pam and she had a look of utter shock on her face. Eric started roaring with laughter and my smile spread wider across my face.

She opened her mouth I could see a nasty retort dying to escape her lips. "Now, now," I said. "Don't make me spank you and send you to bed without supper." I said and I could not help but start to laugh again. I turned and walked towards the bathroom in the back of the house.

I was halfway down the hall when I heard Pam finally say. "Oh, I like her can we keep her Eric?" Eric just started laughing again his beautiful laugh warmed me to my toes.

I took the quickest shower in history threw on the little frilly pink dress that Bill had brought for me. It was so cute; I had never worn anything like it before. It had tiny white flowers smattered here and there. The skirt flared out and away from my body so that if I spun it would have that beautiful graceful movement that only full skirts had. I twirled experimentally in front of the mirror and saw that I had a flash of the pink lace panties as I spun. Well I guess spinning was off the menu but it was very cool, to use a modern vernacular. Thank the gods that Bill had, had the forethought of the fact that I would need new panties and bras. How he knew all my sizes baffled me but everything fit perfectly.

I took the towel that I had wrapped around my hair off and flipped forward to dry my hair better. I did not want to drip water all over my pretty new dress and ruin it. When I was satisfied that it would not drip all over I grabbed the brush another leather hair tie, it did not really match but it would work for the purposes of having a braid in my hair, I really did not want to just ware it down.

I padded back out into the living room and found that two new people had joined the party, one was Bill the other was a strikingly handsome bald man. All four of them were bent over something on the coffee table in front of the couch. They were murmuring quietly to each other about the different things that they saw there. I must have made some kind of small noise that I was not aware of because all of their heads snapped up in unison and stared at me. I gulped internally and plastered a large smile on my face. The three men rose as I walked around the couch to join them.

"Aude," Eric said beaming at me, he moved in one of those instant too fast for the eye movements and slid one hand into mine and placed the other hand at the small of my back and guided me around the couch. "I know that you know Bill,"

I nodded at Bill. "Lovely to see you again William, thank you so much for the beautiful clothes everything fits me perfectly." I said

"It was my pleasure." He said stoically.

I just smiled at him and tried to make him feel comfortable. "And this," Eric said gesturing towards the bald man; I noticed he was not looking happy to be here or entirely happy that Eric was being so affectionate with me. It clicked into place.

"Must be Mr. Quinn." I said. "It really is a pleasure to meet you." I said politely stepping forward and away from Eric reaching my hand out to Quinn to shake. "It is definitely a pleasure to meet you Mr. Quinn. I have heard nothing but wonderful things about you."

He took my hand and shook it gently; it was like he was afraid to break me. "Really from whom?" he said his deep voice rolling through the room and somehow filling it up from floor to ceiling. This man was very powerful, I felt the edges of his thoughts and I flexed that inner muscle inside me. I broke through that flimsy barrier and found his thoughts rushing back and forth relentlessly in his head. It was like a tiger that had been trapped in to small of a cage for far too long. I almost laughed because I realized that, that is exactly what it was; he was a tiger who had been repressing his animal for far too long and this close to the full moon it made his thoughts more animalistic.

A small spark of that electricity I felt with Eric earlier jumped between the palms of our hands. It did not hurt exactly it was just unexpected. We both jumped the tinniest bit. I felt the vampires in the room all stiffen ready to react to some unseen threat. I held up my other hand the one that had the brush in it to tell them all that it was fine. "I think it is too close to the moon for you to suppress all that power," I leaned closer to him. "Wouldn't you agree kitty." I winked at him and a huge smile spread across his face and he laughed. His whole being practically glowed when he laughed. Sookie was going to be a very lucky woman once she forgave him. I released his hand and stepped back into Eric. "As for whom I heard all the wonderful things about you from, Eric of course, he told me about you."

Quinn's face darkened for a moment. "I assure you Mr. Quinn he had nothing but positive things to say about you." I leaned forward as if we were a couple of girls gossiping in a beauty salon, I knew this would make him feel more at ease. "He knows he has been a very naughty boy and I assure you he really does feel bad. Believe it or not," I let my eyes get all big in fained disbelief. "my big Viking has a huge heart and he feels terrible for the things that he has done. Hopefully I will be able to help him fix all the wrongs that he has done to you. So what do you say Mr. Quinn friends?" I stretched out my hand to him again.

He laughed again took my hand and this time we didn't jump when the static danced across our skin. He was shaking his head back and forth. "Damn, that is just like when someone rubs my fur the wrong way when I am shifted." He laughed he leaned forward a little. "I like you, thank you for your kind words." I waved my free hand at him as if saying stop. "No really, you're a sweet girl. I appreciate the things you said." He got a serious look on his face for just a moment and looked up at Eric. "Do you mean it?"

I shuffled gently through his thoughts trying to figure out what he meant and I grasped it. I stepped closer to him lowered my voice to almost a whisper; I knew the vampires in the room could still hear us but why not have the illusion that they couldn't. "I promise you Mr. Quinn Eric and I will help you win her back. He knows that is where she really belongs." I felt Bill tense apparently he hadn't thought about this, I saw in his head that he had pictured he would finally be able to reunite with Sookie again and I almost rolled my eyes at that. "We all not only want what's best for Sookie, but we also want her to have what she truly wants and we all know that she wants nothing more than to have children and to grow old with someone. No matter how much that might hurt." I felt Bills thoughts soften a bit with that he knew I was right.

Some enormous weight seemed to be lifted off of Quinn's shoulders and he just sighed with relief. "Silly kitty," I said leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. "You cannot hold up the world. You need help, and now that Eric has seemed to miraculously overcome his egocentric bull shit I think we can manage to put things back on the right path for you." I winked at him again.

He just stood and stared at me for a long moment, clearly trying to take in the implications of my words. A huge smile spread across his face and he beamed at me, he launched himself forward and swept me up in a bone crushing hug and swung me around once in a small circle. He gently set me down and grasped my shoulders tears sparkling just behind his eyes. He looked up at Eric and said. "She is great can we keep her?" Pam, Eric and I all just laughed the echo of Pam's earlier thought ringing again in Quinn's words.

I gently pulled myself away from him and back into my familiar spot at Eric's side. I looked up at Eric and he smiled down at me brightly. "I am rather fond of her, I am sure that she will not be going anywhere any time soon." I stretched on tip toe and placed a quick peck on his lips.

I gestured at the gentleman's former seats indicating they should sit. "Please go back to whatever you were so immersed in before I rudely interrupted you and ignore me. I need to brush my hair out and braid it. This takes time and frankly I think that whatever you were doing most likely far more exceeds the importance of my simple presence or me brushing out my hair." I laughed.

I suddenly remembered my manors as I was getting ready to sit and said, "Would any of you care for something to drink, Pam, Eric, Bill true blood?" They all nodded once. "Mr. Quinn would you care for something, I am not sure exactly what we have." I floated towards the kitchen setting about the task of getting together some beverages for everyone. I pulled out three true bloods popped them in the microwave and went back to the fridge. I moved the bottles around in the fridge and found some bottled water at the very back we also had some orange juice in the door.

"We have some juice, bottled water, I think there is some hot tea around here somewhere that I can make up for you Mr. Quinn." I yelled out towards the living room my nose still poked in the fridge moving things around trying to see if there was anything else I could offer him.

"The water will be find Aude, and please call me John." I just laughed and grabbed the water and turned back to the kitchen. I set up all the drinks along with four glasses on a little tray that I found in one of the cupboards and walked back out to the living room. I handed around everyone's drinks and glasses severing our guests first as a good hostess should. I handed Eric his glass and he gently took my free hand in his and gingerly kissed my knuckles.

I thought at first that he was just being sweet but then I got a flash of images in my head. Bill was very upset and needed a little of that tender loving care I had uniquely adapted to both Pam and Quinn. I saw flashes of Eric, watching Bill brush out Sookie's hair and braiding it, Sookie had thought she did this for her as a gesture of loving tenderness but really he did it for himself in many ways. It was something he used to do for his sister when she was alive and it made him feel good to be useful. At this moment he was feeling very much alone and not sure what his future place was going to be. As many disagreements as Eric had with Bill, he liked him and wanted him to be happy. I nodded slightly at him, put the tray away in the kitchen, I grabbed my brush that I had sat on the counter there and walked back towards Bill.

"William, would you mind terribly helping me brush my hair and put it up in a braid? My mentor Ruby Anne used to help me with it but sense I have left her I have been doing it all on my own and my arms get tired from doing it. I assume you know how to use this?" I held up the little leather tie. "I find the new little bobbles that women use so irritating." I waited patiently for him to answer me, I just smiled at him. I could tell he was trying to figure out if this was a trick somehow or if Eric would get upset by this. He looked from my face to Eric's; he must have made some nod of approval at Bill.

He nodded once at me. "Excellent." I said handing him the brush and hair tie. I sat at his feet waiting for him to start.

"Perhaps, it would be easier for you to sit on the ottoman." He helped me to my feet, and the whole time our hands touched I sent loving sisterly thoughts at him, praying that I could will him into bonding with us as a family unit. Pam, as the bratty daughter, Eric and I as her parents, and Bill as the protective big brother. He quickly grabbed the ottoman and moved it into place in front of his chair. He clasped my hand again and guided me down onto the seat. Bill set to work immediately with quick sure fingers on the mane of hair. I closed my eyes and just enjoyed the experience. It was always so much nicer to have someone else do this than doing it myself.

With every stroke of the brush I tried to will Bill into start looking on me as a little sister. I tried to find the key to this in his head, and there it was clear as day. His sister had always fallen asleep in his lap after he had done this for her. Vampires were not typically very affectionate in touchy feely ways, I could see this too in Bill's head. It was part of the problem they just stopped doing the very human gesture of touching because that is what they thought they ought to do. With humans they had a good excuse for hundreds of years they had to hide what they where and touching defiantly would send huge clues that they were not human. So they fell out of the habit and lost a lot of what shreds of humanity they had because of that lack of affection.

When he was done with the braid I just laid my head gently back onto his leg and rested there. I felt him tense under me unsure how to react to this. After a long moment he gently ran his hand along the top of my head as if soothing me into restful slumber. "What ever you need Eric," he whispered as if I was really asleep. "I will help you." I could not help but smile. I dozed there for awhile, Bill leaned forward the tinniest bit and the four of them resumed their discussions about the various spells that they found in Hallow's spell book.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

I felt my stomach growl and I realized I was starving, I had not eaten all day and I could not remember if I had eaten the day before. I stretched lazily and looked up at the clock it was four thirty in the morning and the Vampires needed to go and retire for the day. I had really fallen asleep in Bill's lap and lost track of time. Bill, Eric, Pam, and Quinn where still discussing furiously the various spells in Hallow's book, I sat up but they all ignored me. They were all wiped out from the endless rounds of discussions on different things in Hallow's book. I stood and walked to the table grabbed the book closed it and said. "Enough, we have tomorrow, Eric, Pam, and William you need to scoot your selves down stairs and tuck in for the day. Trust me, when the sun comes in through these windows the whole room glows. I believe that we have extra rooms downstairs for both of you." I looked at Eric.

"Of course, I will show them the way." He rose to his feet and glided over to me, he gently kissed my forehead. "Join me soon, my wife."

"I will, I am going to get some food into myself and John and find him a place to sleep for the day as well up here. Then I will be right down." I laid a gentle kiss on his lips. "I love you husband."

He smiled at me ran his hand down the side of my face. "And I you wife."

Before he could lead Pam and Bill out of the room I went to each of them in turn and gave them a hug goodnight and wished them to have sweet dreams. They floated out the back of the room and down the stairs, I turned to John. "Hungry kitty?" I asked.

He laughed. "Yes, mam I could go for some breakfast." I started towards the kitchen and he followed behind me. "I guess that is one of the drawbacks about being around vampires all the time. You forget to eat because they never do."

I laughed. "True," I said. "I do not think I have eaten in…" I thought about it for a second. "two days at least. I got distracted with other hungers." I said.

He laughed it was a warm purring peel of laughter. "I could see how a thousand years apart could do that to you." He joked.

"Yes," I laughed I opened up the fridge and pulled out the eggs and sausage and bread. "Eggs and sausage all right?"

"That would be beautiful. You wouldn't happen to have any coffee would you?" he asked.

"Oh, umm, I have not the slightest idea if we do. Make yourself at home and poke through the cupboards. I know there is a coffee maker here so stands to reason that there must be coffee somewhere." I laughed.

He started poking through the cupboards moving things about. "Yeah, why is it that there is so many human amenities here. I would imagine that Eric doesn't entertain people here often."

"Actually I think the only person who has ever been here is Pam and I cannot see her using the espresso machine could you?" I laughed.

He mirrored that laughter perfectly. "Actually yeah I could, I can see her breaking it in her frustration trying to get the darn thing to work and spraying coffee all over herself and ruining her outfit."

I got a vivid mental image of this off of him and I busted up laughing. She was wearing something different than what she was wearing tonight and it looked very expensive, I would imagine it was one her favorite outfits as this is the one he pictured in. "Oh I could see her having an absolute fit over loosing that cute little red dress." I said laughing.

I felt Quinn go very still and I realized that I had let slip that I could see into his head. He left his head in the cupboard and laughed nervously. "That is so funny, it's like you read my mind that is the exact dress I pictured her ruining."

"Must be a coincidence." I laughed nervously. "I think I saw her wearing that dress at fangtasia the other night."

I turned away from him and opened up the cupboard that contained the pans. I stretched trying to reach them. "I cannot figure out why he has all of these pots and pans so high up. It feels like it totally defeats the purpose of having them in the first place if no one can reach them." I stretched my fingers willing them to be longer so that I can reach the darn pan.

I felt Quinn at my back and he said. "Here let me help you with that."

I went to move so that he could reach the pan himself, but he snatched at my waist and lifted me so that I could grab the pan. The gesture totally caught me off guard but I grabbed the pan I needed quickly and he gently lowered me to the ground. Just as my toes brushed the floor he said. "God you have the nicest ass I have ever seen. I wish you weren't fucking Eric so I could get a piece of that." I whirled on him and raised the pan to smack him but he was laughing with his hands raised to the air in surrender.

"I'm sorry." He said "I just had to be sure. I didn't say any of that out loud. I just wanted to be sure. I didn't mean any disrespect; don't tell Eric, I just wanted to think something that I knew for sure would get a reaction out of you."

I slapped his arm playfully, "Bad Kitty, no milk for you."

He roared with laughter. "That is how you knew I was a cat isn't it. Eric didn't tell you that did he?"

I set to making breakfast. "I don't know if he told me or not but your thoughts are distinctly cat like. They pace back and forth like a tiger that has been caged for too long. It's like they are pent up just waiting for the first sign of escape to catch you off guard."

He laughed again. "Hmm that makes sense. I suppose."

"Well, it is more prominent now because it is so close to the full moon. I would have to wait until after than to be sure if that theory is correct though. Somehow though I am sure I will not make it to the next full moon if Eric has his way."

He hopped up on the counter and sat there watching me go about my work. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Oh, Eric wants to convert me as soon as he can. He would have already done it if Pam wouldn't have pointed out to him that the two magic's might react badly when mixed. That is whole point of the the cram black magic into your head and figure it out session tonight. I think he is afraid that my fragile human body will break down unexpectedly and he does not want to take the chance of losing me again." I shrugged.

"I can see that, if everything Pam and Bill told me was true I can't say that I really blame him."

"Well, what did you hear?" I asked.

"Oh, that you are his dead wife somehow brought back from the dead by Hallow to be used as some kind of weapon against him."

I shook my head in agreement. "How do you like your eggs?"

"Over easy."

I made a face. "What?"

"Nothing, I just don't see how you could eat the slimy middle like that."

"It tastes good." He laughed

"Sure," he laughed again. "well yeah that pretty much surmises everything that is going on. With Eric and I not the egg thing." I said

"I figured." He laughed. "So what difference does it make if you get turned or not before the moon, to figure out the pattern of my thoughts?"

"Well, we are not entirely sure if it will carry over when I am converted."

"Makes sense." He said and I popped the bread in the pan to toast.

"So why hide it?" I put all his food on a plate I had laid out for him.

"Coffee?" I asked.

"No I couldn't find any. I will take some juice though."

I grabbed a glass down and poured him a big glass of it. I plated up my own and we walked out to the table and sat. After a long moment I said. "It is very powerful; it is not like Sookie's where you can just here the surface thoughts. I can hear and see everything if I focus. I can see your past, pictures and sound coming through as if I was really there. I can also project, I can let you feel my feelings of happiness or calm or whatever so you are put more at ease. I think the scariest bit of all and the thing that is the most different from Sookie's gift is that it is not limited to just read humans. Well in fact I think it is the opposite, I have not really tried to do it with any humans sense the powers became active."

"Wait, you can read the vamps thoughts?"

I nodded "Yeah they come in nice and clear and with Eric especially I seem to have a deeper connection. We can talk to each other."

"Handy." He said.

"Yeah, but I can also share what I can see with him. Well it is more than that hmmm, it is more like because it is him I can let him tap my power." Quinn looked confused. "All right picture me as a wall socket that only Eric's plug will fit, when he's plugged into that the electricity flows through him and he can use it and draw off of it. Understand?"

"Oh yeah, I can see why Eric would want to convert you quickly. If other vamps knew they would probably kill you."

"Yeah that is about the gist of it." I shrugged. "That is why I try very hard not to say anything. You and Eric are the only ones that know."

"Is that how you won over Bill?"

"Yeah, he just wants a place to fit in. He needs love and affection and the one human that meant the most to him besides his wife, was his little sister and daughter. He would sit and brush their hair for hours and they would sleep on his lap after. He knows that he is not what is right for Sookie and I cannot offer him myself as his lover, so the only role I could take for him is daughter, little sister. It works for him, he needs that intimacy and I am willing to give that to him at least."

"You should hook him up with Pam. I can tell that you are trying to make a happy little nest here, but I think Bill will only be happy in the long term if he finds a woman to love and will love him back."

"They would make a cute couple." I teased. "I think she would bring out his fun side and he would be able to be strong and firm with her and knock some of that spoiled nature right out the back door."

"I was actually joking about Pam and Bill, but put that way, you know, it's not a half bad idea."

I shrugged. "You had it not me; I do not think it would have even crossed my mind. I will have to talk with Eric and see if we can figure out a way to conspire to get them to fall in love."

We finished our meal in silence and he helped me wash the dishes after. I led him to the back of the house dug through a few closets until I found what I was looking for. "AHA." I said. "I knew I had seen some in here somewhere." I handed him the bundle and he looked at me skeptically. "Pajama bottoms, I figured that you would not have anything to sleep in."

He nodded. "Thanks."

"Come on kitty, I will show you where you can get some sleep for the day." I led him down the hall that went down the back of the house. "That is the bathroom, and this, I opened up the next door. "Is the original master bedroom, I am sure you can see why Eric doesn't use it."

"Yeah, why does he have so many windows in his house you would think that it would be super dangerous, I mean anyone really determined could get in."

I laughed. "I had that same thought when I saw them all for the first time. Remind me to ask I keep getting distracted." I blushed.

He laughed. "You mean making up for the last thousand year's absence."

"Yes, yes that is what I mean. Good night John." I laughed and gently closed the door behind me and went down stairs to crawl into bed with Eric. The sun was just peaking up over the horizon, Eric would be sound asleep, and for once that was fine with me. I was exhausted even with that nap that I had taken. I just wanted to cuddle with Eric and sleep. I tended to get very distracted when we laid in bed together just trying to fall asleep. We had a tendency to not fall asleep until we both collapsed with exhaustion. Which was great I was not complaining but tonight, today, whatever, I just wanted to fall asleep and get some much needed rest.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Hallow stood over me laughing manically, her face was covered in blood, my blood. Her brother stood next to her still in his half-wolf form. My body limply hung from the manacles above my head. Oh gods this woman is going to kill me. "Awww," she said to her brother, she tilted her head to the side. "I think you broke her." She ran her tongue over her chin and upper lip as if trying to get every last drop of yummy goodness off her lips. "She won't be any good to us if you kill her." She said scolding her brother.

He shrugged. "We can just bring her back again. Why not have a little fun in the process."

"Because it was an accident that we brought her forward in the first place you idiot." She slapped him hard in his face.

"MMMMM" he said roughly "Do it again." He stroked his man hood to encourage himself along.

"I think she can take one more time before I break her completely." He said.

She hit him again hard and he was ready to go. He walked to the cupboard of torture and grabbed a huge whip. It was not like a normal whip though it split off to 15 or 16 tiny whips at the end and at the end each of these where small balls of metal somehow attached to the strands. Everything was getting blurry around the edges, oh Gods thank you I was going to pass out from the pain, I could feel my face broken in several places. "Oh no you don't, we aren't done with you yet." She leaped on me and I could feel the bone in my thigh snap. I tried to scream but my throat was raw from screaming and all I could manage was a rough cry. I started to pray. "Behaga gods leda jag in i porten av Valhalla. Se över jag och skydda jag. Hjälpa mig orka dö en krigare frånfälle. (Please gods guide me into the gates of Valhalla. Watch over me and protect me. Help me have the strength to die a warrior's death.)"

"Shut her up!" The man screamed.

Hallow grabbed a knife that was tucked into her boot and ran it up my body from navel to collar bone. My words of prayer died on my lips and my body started to shake. I felt Hallow move off me and to the side and then the whip came down over my already broken back and all I could do was cry. My body shook harder and I prayed for them to lose control enough to kill me quick and not make this last any longer.

Muffled in the distance I heard voices, part of me knew that they didn't belong here. I tried to focus on that. "What's wrong with her?" I heard a male voice say I shook my head to try and clear away the pain it was Quinn.

"Quinn." I murmured. The twins stopped for a second and I thanked myself for the moment of respite.

"HOW DO YOU KNOW QUINN!?" Halo screamed. I just shook my head at her. The man began his whipping again. Over and over asking me the same thing, my body began to convulse again.

"Help me hold her down." I recognized that voice instantly.

"Eric, help." I whispered and I began to cough up blood.

"Sis, slit that bitch's throat I am tired of listening to her." I felt Hallow mount me from behind and run the blade quickly and efficiently across my throat. I gasped for breath I tried to tell Eric I loved him before I slipped into the abyss but no sound could escape my throat.

"WE HAVE TO WAKE HER NOW!" I heard Eric screaming, my body gave one last shake and everything went dark. In the distance I heard Eric's frantic screams; he was bellowing orders like a good leader should trying desperately to save me.

I knew what was going to happen though and he really had nothing to fear, I tried to tell him but I had no voice. I heard the chants begin and I found myself back in that basement surrounded by hooded figures. I felt the memories of my past begin to flood back to me and Hallow quickly clamped them down and locked them away. She did too through a job though she blocked everything not just the memories of her and her brother murdering me the first time they brought me back.

My eye's snapped open and I saw four figures standing around me dimly lit in the firelight. "Lights." Eric said quickly. After a moment I saw them, Eric, Pam, Bill and Quinn all hovering around me on the bed. They all looked unsure what to do. I broke down and just started to cry. Eric pulled me into the safety of his arms and held me tight. "Go" he whispered. "We will be up as soon as we can." I managed to think at him, bring Ruby Anne. I flashed her home at him and how to get there. He looked down at me for a long moment puzzled.

"What?" Quinn asked. "What does she want?"

Eric looked at him sharply I could see Quinn through Eric's mind and he just shrugged at him. "She told me yesterday, well more like I figured it out. You can be mad at me later tell me what she wants."

"She is asking that you go and fetch Ruby Anne, her mentor." Eric said.

"I know her, good woman. I will go get her right now." Quinn said and turned to go.

"Bill, Pam go with him see that they arrive back here safely and quickly."

I sent a wave a panic a clear NO DON'T SEND THEM AWAY into Eric. All three where halfway out the door when Eric said. "Wait, she doesn't want you two to go with Quinn, she wants you to stay."

I could see Pam raise one eyebrow at Eric. "What is it that she would have us do?" Pam asked.

Eric looked down at me and whispered. "Love, what do you want them to do?" I sent flashes images of what I wanted from them. I really needed a lot of love and affection after what I just figured out and I couldn't help but to show Eric some of what I had endured. He clenched me tight and I whimpered. "I'm sorry" he said and stroked my hair. He looked up at Pam and Bill. "She just remembered what was done to her, what Halo and that wretched brother of hers did to her. They" he gritted his teeth. "tortured her, raped her killed her and then brought her back again fully intending to repeat the process in front of me hoping to get me to bend to their will. She wants the two of you to stay because she says; she wants people she loves and trusts around her to hold her to help her through what she has uncovered. She wouldn't have sent Quinn away if she didn't know for sure that Ruby Anne needed to look at the spell book to help her heal magically from what was done to her. Until the memories are cleansed she thinks that the dreams are going to get worse and actually kill her again."

"Name what you need of us Aude we will do it for you." He said softly.

Another round of images at Eric and I could feel him smiling at me. "William," Eric said. "She would like it if you would make her something to eat. She says she knows you're a good cook she wants your special eggs and biscuits." Bill nodded and walked up the stairs.

Eric turned to Pam, "She needs you most of all child," Eric said.

"I wish …." She started but I could feel Eric give her a warning look that now was not the appropriate time for that particular wish.

"Pam, believe me I share your train of thought but her mind is wide open and she needs calming thoughts at the moment." Pam just nodded. "Halo's brother did awful things to her and she is afraid to be alone but she also wants very limited male contact for awhile. She needs you to help her, bathe her, and help her wash away those memories. She honors you with this request Pam," he said warningly. "She trusts you to care for her." Another series of images and Eric smiled. "She loves you very much."

Pam was speechless, I laughed internally at that and I felt a smile curve his lips. "She thinks it is hilarious that you do not know what to say."

Pam chuckled. "I will go run the bath bring her to me along with some clean clothes something pretty." With that she turned and walked away.

After a moment the trembling began. "Do you want to go and get in the tub now?" he asked.

"_No_" I thought at him.

"Aren't you cold?" flashes of images. "Ahh, not that kind of cold. Why are not speaking my wife?" I ran through the last memory of Hallow cutting my throat that I was having trouble making my words come out that my throat still hurt. I felt his fingers flex for just a moment but he restrained himself. "Let me see." He said gently. He lifted my face out of his chest and looked up at him he lifted my chin and hissed his fangs extending he looked like he was ready to kill. I tried to pull away from him because he scared me. He gripped my arms firmly to hold me in place closed his eyes and began to count. I could hear him running through it in his head. "En , två , tre , fyra , fem , sexa , sjua , åtta , nio , tio." Over and over again until he calmed. "I am sorry." He said stiffly not because he didn't mean it but because he was trying to hold back the anger that was threatening to wash over him.

I pushed my eyebrows together tried to clear my throat and whimpered a bit. "What's wrong?" I asked aloud my voice was raspy and rough, it sounded like I had sandpaper in my throat but at least I got my voice to work.

"There are marks," he said stiffly. Every injury that they inflicted on you in this remembrance that you showed me, the marks are there on your skin. Look at your belly." I looked down and sure enough an angry red welt ran from my belly button all the way up. It was in the exact position that Hallow had plunged the knife in and ran it up me.

"Oh Gods," I whimpered and buried my face in my hands. My breathing became raged and I began to cry. Eric scooped me up in his arms and once again began to quietly sing me the lullabye. He rocked me gently and once again, I saw him a very different man sitting in front of the fire singing our children to sleep.

"That is such a beautiful memory Eric." I murmured into his chest.

"What are you talking about Aude?" he asked. I sent the memory back to him through our connection and he got very still.

"I… I … I had forgotten that, I did not know why I choose this song to sing to you I just knew it was right. That memory did not come from me my wife. If it was mine I would be looking down at our child not standing in the doorway of our home."

It took me a moment and I realized what he meant, this was my memory of him, being a loving father and I treasured him for that. No matter how much Hallow and Mark did to me they could not rob me of this memory of my husband sitting by a fire in a faraway place and time simply loving his life and his children. I got a certain satisfaction from that.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Pam lowered me into the tub gently; she tenderly washed my hair and body taking extra care over all the red marks that were left behind from my nightmare. She was being very sweet and kind; I gently touched the side of her face and sent her warm thoughts of appreciation and love. She smiled at me sweetly. She helped me to stand and lifted me up out of the tub to sit on the edge and begun the task of drying me and helping me get dressed.

She was fussing with my hair when she said. "Although I find that quite disturbing to feel you in my thoughts walking around putting in images, there is a certain kind of … beauty to it. I know that everything you express is the truth in its purest form. But … from now on please stay out of my thoughts unless absolutely necessary." I nodded once. "Is your throat still soar mom?" she snorted.

I laughed and moaned at the same time, it hurt to laugh. I felt Eric stiffen in the living room his whole body ready to spring into action. I placed my hand on her arm and sent her a flurry of images containing Eric, trying to bust down the door because he was worried about me. She sighed. "She is fine Eric, I made her laugh and it hurt her. Tell Bill to make her some kind of hot liquid to sooth her throat." I could see Eric's lips moving in my mind's eye but I was so exhausted that I couldn't quite pick up the emotions of it all. I asked Pam without asking her what he had said. "You know, this could really be quite useful I wonder if it will carry over when you finally become a real person." She smirked. I knew she meant become a vampire and that only vampires where real and worthy of any kind of notice. I just rolled my eyes and let it go.

She pivoted me sideways so that she could mess around with my hair flinging a lock her and a curl there. I waited patiently for her to tell me what Eric had said to her, but I think she was holding back. I closed my eyes reached up and gently touched her hand that I could feel doing some kind of complicated twist at the crown of my head. She sighed. "You are extremely persistent." I waited I shot her images of tapping toes and crossed arms, drumming fingers and a scowl of you better just tell me. She laughed and leaned forward to whisper in my ear.

"He said if I hurt you again, he would rip of my arms and beat me with the wet ends. He really is quite protective of you isn't he?" I nodded once. "You think we should give him a good fright." She laughed in my ear. I thought about that for a long moment. I smiled took her hand and sent her more images. "HA," she laughed loudly. I could see Eric stiffen in the living room. "Eric," Pam said. He turned his head slowly towards the hallway.

"Aude says, _that if you ever threaten me again she will find more creative ways to torture you than ripping off your arms and beating you with the wet ends._ She says, _you be nice to our daughter she is helping me out and it is not her fault that I am in pain_. She says,_ I am your wife and just as much as I have to obey you in all things you will obey me in this. Now apologize to your daughter._" A smirk spread across her face, she looked too much like a pleased teenager who had gotten one parent to out rank the other.

I could see Eric fuming on the couch, I saw his mouth moving furiously and I thought at Pam "_Did he do it?"_ she nodded once and said. "Thank you daddy." She said and roared with laughter and I tried to chuckle as silently as I could.

After Pam was done with my hair she helped me slip into a nice new white pair of matching lace panties and bra. She took extra care fastening the bra, and placing it as gently as possible over the welts on my back. Pain shot down my back and I grabbed her hand tightly and tried to cry as silently as possible. I did not want to alarm Eric. I was shaking from head to toe with the intense pain. She knelt next to me and whispered. "Sshhh I know it hurts but you have to be strong. If Eric comes through that door and he sees you like this it will only distress him further and cause him to loose focus. I know that you do not want that. He needs to be focused so he can be strong for you, so he can help you figure out how to get better and get through this right?"

I nodded. "I am going to take off the bra you will have to go without one under the dress. Normally I would say it would not be a big deal, except that in this dress if the light is too bright you will be able to see through it. But I will make sure that the lights are dimmed just enough, I know you are a modest woman. I also understand that you are in an enormous amount of pain and I fear that you would not be able to endure in silence the rest of the night with that bra rubbing against your welts. Do you understand?" I nodded again.

"Good, girl." She whispered again and lightly kissed my head. It was incredibly tender of Pam, I had never thought I would see this side of her. In all of Eric's memories Pam was very strong and very outspoken and never tender and sweet. It was part of her appeal to Eric. I wondered how many times Pam had been hurting and she just endured because she knew that was what Eric needed. A strong steady woman at his side who supported him unwaveringly, I hoped that she knew that just because I was now going to be at his side she would never be able to be replaced. He would always need her regardless of if he had me or not.

I sent all this to her in a rapid fluttering, and she whispered. "I know and I am sorry but I have to unhook it now." She zipped across the room and back grabbing the brush she had put away. "Here," she whispered. "bite this." I did as she asked and I was glad that she did. As much as it hurt going on it hurt ten times worse coming off. The pain shot through my back from top to bottom. I bit down hard but the sudden jolt rocked me forward. I thought for sure I was going to crack my head on the edge of the tub but Pam was there to catch me the second before my head connected. I started to sob silently and my whole body shook but I never made a sound. "Oh you brave, brave girl." Pam whispered in my ear. "I know, I know." She ran a hand up and down my arms soothing me gently until the tears and shaking had subsided.

Pam slide the dress over my feet and helped me to stand, she moved my hair so that she could zip the dress in the back. I tensed waiting for the shooting pain but thank the gods it never did. The cool satin felt marvelous against my skin. It felt like it was sucking all the heat and pain right out of my wounds and I breathed a sigh of relief. "I know there is nothing like good satin to make a girl feel better." She looked me up and down for a long moment making sure every hair was in just the right spot. After awhile she shrugged. "If you are going to be around we must get you some proper hair accessories. There are just so many things you could do with all that hair if you had just the right things.

I smiled at her and leaned my head into her shoulder, she was almost as tall as Eric with her heels but right at this moment I was just so grateful that she had done this for me. I let her see this and she said simply. "Anytime." I felt my knees start to give from under me and she gently guided me back to the edge of the tub. "Eric, come here." Within seconds he opened the door. "She wants you to carry her out to the living room, something about being afraid I will fall over with her in four inch heels."

I tried not to look confused because as Eric approached me I could see Pam behind him giving me a long slow wink. I just smiled at her. Eric scooped me up in his arms and kissed me gently. "You look beautiful." I smiled at him and rolled my eyes.

"You do," he said shocked. "you are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, and trust me," he smiled mischievously. "I have been around awhile and seen a lot of things."

I cleared my throat experimentally it still hurt but I wanted to speak and not just send thoughts. "Pam said that I need better hair accessories." I whispered my voice was scratchy and rough but it didn't hurt as badly as before.

He laughed and kissed my forehead. "Well, I will have to make sure that you and Pam get a girl's day at a mall so that you can go shopping to your little heart's content."

I laughed a small little laugh, and the moment was almost ruined because it caused my back to bounce just the slightest bit and shoot flashes of pain up and down my spine. I continued the smile and tried very hard not to let the strain show on my face.

We stopped in the hall about halfway to the living room and Eric leaned forward and kissed my ear gently. "If you were not so hurt, I would show you right here how beautiful I think you are. I would make love to you until you screamed for me to stop because the pleasure was too much to bear."

I smiled at him again. "I think," I whispered "that you like me better without my clothes on then with them sense all you ever seem to do is rip them off of me. And isn't that saying something, that I am not pretty enough with garments on to be beautiful." I joked.

"Oh no," Eric looked concerned at my statement. "I just see you and you are so beautiful regardless of what you are wearing that I have to have you. I cannot contain myself when I look at you."

"I don't know I teased." Last night I was wearing a very beautiful little dress and you seemed to contain yourself just fine. I think," I tilted my head and smiled, "that it actually proves my point because you made it through the whole night and didn't ravage me simply because I had covered myself."

He looked at me like I has slapped him and I was suddenly worried. I touched his face lightly. "I am joking husband." But just as the words left my mouth I saw that he too was joking so that I would back down first. He gently set me on my feet and leaned me against the wall behind us. I slapped at his chest playfully and said "You …" but before the curse could leave my mouth he closed his eyes and threw open the connection between us wide. Slowly he flashed through images of the previous evening, but instead of seeing things through my eyes I saw them through his. My witty banter with Pam, my kindness towards Quinn, my loving gesture towards Bill, the way I moved as I walked into the kitchen to serve them. How I tended to lift one foot and rub the back of my other calf when I was holding still for too long. The way I stretched to reach something high, even sleeping in Bill's lap, it was all exciting to him. There wasn't one moment during the evening that he hadn't taken his eyes off of me for more than a mere second. He loved to watch me, it excited him, made him want to throw me down in front of everyone and ravage me just to show how much he loved me and that I was his and he didn't really care who knew it.

He was happy simply because I was happy, and that was all that mattered to him as long as I was happy and content he would continue to be happy. I saw more clearly than anything that if I was truly upset about something he would move heaven and earth to make it better for me. "Oh Eric, if I had it in me I would throw you down and ravage you right now to show you how much that meant to me."

He just laughed, scooped me back up in his arms and said. "Bill is done with your food and Quinn has returned with Ruby Anne. You need to eat … some food." He winked at me. I laughed again.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

True to her word, Pam had turned down all the lights in the house just enough that my dress didn't show anything underneath. Thank the god's for Pam. Eric set me in one of the chairs at his kitchen table and Bill was there instantly with food and hot tea. I grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently. I got flashes of him inspecting my hair with a scornful eye. I just smiled and said. "Next time, if it makes you feel any better I will need pulling all this out before I go to sleep tonight and putting it into a proper braid." His face lit up with that.

"I would be most honored."

"Oh no," I said. "the honor is all mine. I don't think I ever had a brother and I find the experience to be quite … pleasant."

Bill looked up at Eric as if asking him a question. Eric said. "No love you never had a brother, nine sisters as I recall, you where the … youngest I think. There was a joke floating around though for the longest time about how people thought your family must be cursed for some odd reason because there where never any boys. All of your sisters had daughters in their marriages and it wasn't until we married and had our children that the first boy was born into your family sense your father's birth."

"Hmm….interesting" I said and shrugged. "See" I said turning to Bill. "Every girl needs an older brother to look out for her William it is just a fact."

He laughed. "But in fact my child you are much, much older than me. So wouldn't that make me your younger brother?"

I waved my hands at the comment. "No, I am technically younger than you I think." I scrunched my eyebrows together. "I am technically 24 maybe 25 right around there, if you only count the actually years I was alive instead of when I was actually born."

"That sounds about right." Eric said. I cannot remember your exact age. I will think on it though. I remember your birthday was in August though."

"Drink your tea." Bill said. "before your throat starts to act up again."

I just laughed and so did Eric. "Yes, big brother." I said laughing as I took the first hot sip of tea. It burned and stung slightly on the way down my throat but I was glad to feel it. It soothed the last of that achy rawness away.

"Better?" Bill asked.

"Much." I nodded.

Ruby Anne and Quinn choose just that moment to walk in. Ruby Anne looked frightened to death to be here in Eric's home, but the moment the old woman saw me she rushed to my side and kissed me feverishly. "Oh my dear, I missed you so much are you all right is everything okay? Quinn here said there was some kind of problem. What is the matter what has happened and what is that?" she pointed to the red welt that laced across my throat. She whirled on Eric. I could feel her getting ready to accuse him of all kinds of evil doings.

I grabbed her wrist and put power behind my words and said. "Ruby Anne, Eric has done nothing wrong. If you would have told Eric about me sooner perhaps things would be different and we could have dealt with the issues at hand before they got to this point, perhaps not, maybe just my being with him has triggered what has happened I do not know. But, Eric is the innocent one here. He has done nothing wrong. We need your help so I need you to calm yourself sit down and behave like the respected mentor and great witch that I know that you are. I need you and Eric to discuss what has happened. For the moment I need to eat, and regain some energy." I let go of her wrist. "Now," I said smiling my sweet smile at her. "would you care for a cup of tea?"

She nodded and said shakily. "Yes, please two sugars if you have it."

I slowly started to stand so that I could fetch Ruby Anne some tea, there was no way I was going to ask the others to get it for her. Bill placed one hand on my shoulder and gently yet very firmly made me sit. "I will get it, you eat."

"Thank you William, it might have taken me awhile to get it for her." I smiled at him.

"Of course," he said gently and kissed my forehead.

"Now," I looked from Eric to Ruby Anne "please speak with my husband and I expect both of you," I glowered at them both. "to be on your best behavior. You can either join me here while I eat or go on into the living room and deal with things until I am done."

"I think, it is best if we let you eat in peace and go and speak in the living room don't you agree Ruby Anne?" he glowered at her and I shot a warning look at him.

"Don't worry," Pam said. "I will make sure they are on their best behavior while you are busy attending to your" she waved her hand "human needs. Where is the book?"

"In the kitchen above the stove." I said.

"Book, what book?" Ruby Anne said.

"Eric, will explain." I said.

Pam flitted into the kitchen to grab the book but Eric and Ruby Anne made no indications of leaving me alone. I sighed deeply. Bill walked back into the room and handed Eric Ruby Anne's tea. "I will stay with her, go, talk." He clasped Eric's shoulder. It was incredibly intimate for a vampire but Eric got the hint.

He bent forward gave me a quick peck on the lips and said. "Love you my wife."

"Love you too my husband."

He turned and waved a hand vaguely in the direction of the sofa and chairs in the other part of the room. I watched Ruby Anne walk through the house pick a seat and sit. Her back was straight as a board and she sat like she was ready for action. Eric handed her the tea crossed the room to the seat opposite hers and sat. Pam was right at his back with the book in hand. Quinn hovered between the two groups not sure if he should stay with me or go to them. I nodded my head sideways and said. "You might be able to help go." He looked so relived and turned and joined Eric, Pam, and Ruby Anne.

Bill sat down silently beside me. "It will be fine everything will work itself out." He patted my hand gently.

"Oh I know it will, it's just that I know it is going to get much worse before it gets better. I know, somehow, that things are going to get very, interesting for the next few days."

Bill just laughed. I loved that laugh. It made me feel safe; it was almost as good as Eric's. "William," I whispered. "What do you think of Pam?" He laughed again and I just smiled brightly at him.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Bill gestured at me to eat and gave me a stern look; the look clearly told me that if I didn't get to eating I would be in huge trouble. I just shook my head and smiled at him. I slowly started to nibble on the biscuits and eggs he had made for me. It was delicious, for someone who hadn't had to eat solid food in almost two hundred years, he could cook.

He raised one eyebrow at me, I could tell he was nervous about my food. I reached out and gently patted his hand that was resting on the glass table top. "It is wonderful." I said and immediately turned back to my food.

He let out a sigh of relief which made me giggle softly, vampires didn't have to breathe so the fact that he was holding his breath in anxiety to my reaction amused me to no end. "So?"

"So, what?" he asked clearly confused.

"I was serious William, what do you think of Pam?" I said lowering my voice so that the others would not over hear me.

He gave me a stern look. "I find her to be cold, and calculating and quite unpleasant. She is very loyal to Eric though, which always surprises me to no end. But, the way she behaves, it is like she has never had any real emotions."

"She really is quite sweet and loving if you give her the chance, of course she only shows that when she knows it will not be preserved as weakness."

Bill snorted indigently out of the corner of my eye I saw the others in the living room turn and look at us. I laughed quietly I reached out and grabbed Bills hand, leaned closer to Bill and whispered. "Look, and if you ever tell her I showed you this I will kill you myself William Compton." He looked at me skeptically.

I closed my eyes and slowly ran through the whole exchange that Pam and I had in the bathroom, including all the little flashes I had from her head about how many times she had been dying inside to breakdown but stood tall and proud. Most of all I showed him how lonely Pam was, she would never tell anyone but she had been alone for a very long time, she as much as anyone else needed companionship. When I reached the end of it all I opened my eyes and smiled at Bill he was shocked and surprised. "See." I whispered, I squeezed his hand gently and went back to slowly eating my food. I was starving but I knew that if I ate too quickly I would regret it.

He sat very still for a long moment; I could feel him turning over my thoughts in his head. I just left him to it he would tell me his thoughts eventually and I wanted him to come to it in his own time instead of forcing the issue.

"Extraordinary." He said eventually he moved his chair closer to mine and placed a hand on my knee. I placed my fork on the side of my plate and looked at his face. His head was rushing with thoughts surrounding my "gift" and he wanted to bombard me with questions.

"Ask." I said simply.

He opened and closed his mouth he looked like a fish out of water and I giggled again. "So, can you hear everything that I think?" he asked quietly.

The cat was out of the bag as it where and I hadn't really discussed it to in depth with Quinn the day before. I considered what he said for a long moment. "Yes and no," I said. "It is more like I can see your entire memory of everything and every thought you have and have ever had and all of your emotions that are going on all at once. It is like you mind is a beehive and I can see the entire picture. The older you are the more complicated the beehive." I shrugged. "But the more time I spend with someone the easier it is to pick out specific things. Eric, for example if I concentrate I can make out everything and focus individually on each thing with perfect clarity. I think part of that is the connection that Hallow made between us because it seems to be much more in-depth with him, I can not only sense him individually but anyone he is bound to the same way he senses them. To be honest I have not really played with my gift or whatever this is, because it didn't really develop fully until I reunited with Eric."

He sat still and digested this for awhile I knew what he wanted to ask before he did but I let him ask anyways putting a vampire on edge was not high on my list of things I must do today. "What about the sending thing, you showed me …" he paused trying to figure out how to phrase it we were talking in our normal voices so we knew that even though they where ignoring us the others could hear us perfectly. "various memories. Can you do that with directly speaking with me?"

"Well…" I said slowly. "emotions and images are easy, I can say a lot and get my point across without every actually saying a word. Memories of an event are fairly simple as well because you can flash through the memory and give the general idea of the emotions being shared between the people involved. I think it is easier for me to show that because not only do I have my own emotions to share but I have the other people involved emotions to weave in as well." I scrunched my eyebrows together. "Talking is more difficult I have to focus more, with Eric it is fairly simple because of the connection again, I think, but with anyone else," I shrugged. "I do not know how well it would work with me talking to them."

I laughed a bit and remembered what Quinn had done. I flashed through the images of that interaction and sent them all to Bill. "Clever kitty." He laughed using my nickname for Quinn.

"Indeed," I said. "I think though that he could do that though because of past experiences." I left out the with Sookie part we both knew what I meant. "to be honest, I do not know if I could have a conversation though with anyone because I haven't tried."

"Can we try?" he asked excitedly.

I shrugged. "Sure, do not be disappointed if it does not work though."

"Is it easier with touch?"

I nodded and held up my hands towards him. He placed his palms gently against mine. I closed my eyes and focused on his brain. I picked through the various trails and found what I was looking for. "_All right, can you hear me_?" he asked.

I smiled and concentrated on what I needed to do, I had done this so easily with Eric that I had never put a lot of thought into it. "_Yes, can you hear me_?" I thought at him. He jumped slightly.

"_Turn down the volume_." We both laughed.

"_Sorry, better_." I said my laughter carrying over into my thoughts.

"_Much, this is amazing_." He thought.

I shrugged mentally. "I suppose so."

"_It can come in handy_."

I pushed all my thoughts on that into his head, I didn't use words, but he got the point. I didn't really care for it but I doubted that it would carry over when I became a vampire.

"_Interesting._" He thought.

I had a sudden thought, some of my excitement must have leaked over and he laughed, I heard it in my head as well as with my ears. "_What?_" he laughed again.

"_I want to try something that I can do with Eric, do you want to try? I don't know if it will work_."

"_What is it you want to try exactly_?" he asked skeptically.

I tried to think of a way to explain it. "_You will just have to trust me. If it does work I want you to experience it without any expectations_."

He nodded at me mentally. I focused in on that part of his brain that was our connection, friendship whatever it was that you would call our relationship and brought it to the surface of his brain. I drew on my own connection that I had in my head and pictured braiding the two together so that they were connected. He must have been able to see me doing this because he laughed at the imagery. "_Watch_." I whispered to him in his head.

I flung my conciseness out into the other part of the house; I could see Eric, Pam, Quinn and Ruby Anne sitting very quietly looking over at us. I opened just a little and a wave of all of their emotions and thoughts flooded over us. I could feel Bill struggling in the onslaught of the thoughts. "_It's okay you get used to it_." I thought at him "_Focus on Eric, he is the easiest for me_."

"_How_?" he whispered "_I can't seem to tell up from down_." I hadn't had to show Eric how to do this so I had to think for a second on how to explain it. I showed him that each person, had a line of light going into me connected and that all I had to do was concentrate on that line and follow it into that person in order to hear them individually.

Bill must have gotten the idea cause he flung himself down the line and into Eric, at first he could just see the entire beehive of his mind, thoughts, emotions, memories all running together. I showed him how to focus on just the surface thoughts, explained that it was a different pattern for each person but that I always kind of put exactly what I wanted to see into my head and that what I wanted kind of glowed so that I could pick it out easily ignoring the other noise of the brain. Bill concentrated on that glowing strand of thought.

"OH!" he said allowed.

I blushed deeply, how was I supposed to know that Eric would be thinking about all the times we had made love. Bill just laughed. "Such tenderness." He said surprised I thought he had said it in my head but it kind of echoed in my ears out of sync with the thought.

Eric had all of the tender moments and pledges of undying love tied up into the memories of us making love. I blushed harder as a very vivid image of Eric looking up at me while I squirmed against him spread out on the table flashed through our heads. I gently pulled Bill and I away from Eric and Bill made a disappointed sound. I let my hands fall to my lap and opened my eyes. I was surprised to see Bill was crying. I grabbed my napkin and dabbed at Bill's eyes. He gently grabbed my hand and folded it in his. "He loves you very much." I could hear that his words where full of surprise and reassurance at the same time.

"I know." I said smiling.

He brushed my cheek with his other hand. "That is amazing you should not hide that gift from others."

I laughed. "If you were me would you tell all the vampires you could do that and not worry that they would either a) kill you because you are dangerous to them. Or b) use you up until you die from over exertion. It does not seem a very logical thing to speak of aloud William." I laughed.

"I suppose you are right." He laughed. He tilted his head at me slightly. "Why do you call me William allowed but in your head you think of me as Bill?"

I laughed again. "You prefer that I call you William, you like it more. It makes you think happy thoughts and endears me closer to your heart. You have never particularly cared for Bill but you use it because it is more modern then William."

He laughed and nodded at me. "Very practical. Amazing" he said. "simply amazing. I take it that you perceived all of this from my head."

"Yes." I said sheepishly.

"I could see how that could be dangerous for the vampire." He laughed. "To develop an attachment because you can pick out exactly the right things to say to do. That is indeed a very dangerous tool if used correctly." He arched an eyebrow at me. "Finished with your food?" he asked.

"Yes, but I could …"

"Use more tea, for your sore throat." he said finishing my sentence.

He turned his back to be fussing about with gathering my plate, silverware and teacup. Shit, shit, shit I thought.

"Don't use such language; it is unbecoming of a lady. Besides" he looked back at me. "What do you have to be cursing about?"

My mouth kind of dropped open. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the braid I had formed between the two of us. And gently unbound it, making sure I disconnected ever strand. When I was done his connection to me kind of snapped back into place. I sighed deeply. "Sorry," I said. "I will try not to use such unlady like language in the future."

He looked at me smiling. "See that you don't." he said scolding me just the tinniest bit. He walked into the kitchen puttering about to make me another cup of tea. I slid my chair away from the table and tried to stand. I was halfway out of the chair when I stopped dead. A flash of pain shot through both my belly and back. I bit my lip hard and sucked in a deep breath. In a blink Eric was at my side and pulling me up into his arms. He carried me gently to the living room to join him and the others. He sat gently on the couch trying not to jostle me about too much. He slid me into my familiar little niche at his side and I snuggled my head into his side. "_What was the apology for_?" he thought at me.

"_He heard me curse in my head_," I thought at Eric. "_I forgot to unweave our connection when I broke it off. So he was taping into part of my head hearing my thoughts. Kind of like what Sookie can do. I am glad that he had his back to me so that he did not figure out that I was just thinking it. He could not read my emotions but he definitely had the surface thoughts_."

Eric raised a mental eyebrow at me. "_Perhaps, if he had been aware he could have been able to do the other things that you can? Oh, that could be very very usefu_l." I saw thoughts racing through his head of all of his trusted minions being able to manipulate my ability. That kind of power would be a force to reckon with.

I slapped his thigh. "_Don't you even think that. I will not participate in that and no matter how much you begged me I wouldn't be willing_." I thought furiously at him.

"It was just a thought." He said out loud.

"Well, do not even think it." I scowled at him. He laughed.

"That is really creepy." Quinn said.

We both looked at him. "I agree." Said Pam. We just laughed again and rolled our eyes.

Bill walked over and handed me my tea. "It is actually quite amazing." He said. "You should let her show you sometime. It is a very unique experience." He said smiling at me.

"Thank you William." I took the tea from him he nodded once at me walked across the room and he resumed his seat from the previous night.

"Fascinating." Ruby Anne said. We all turned and looked at her. "You never could do this before. Is it just the vampires and the shifters or can you sense humans as well? When did it start exactly? What exactly does it entail? How does it work?" She stopped suddenly looking at us cleared her throat and said. "Later, we have other business to attend to."

We all shook our head in agreement. "To business then?" she asked.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"Well, I have looked through this wretched spell book and I found the spell that Hallow used to bring you forward and reanimate you to life." Those of us that could breath took in a deep breath and held it. Ruby Anne continued. "From what I can tell it was a complete accident. It is an ingenious spell but I don't think that she meant to do what she did. Once she had figured out what she had done, she modified it to block your memories for some reason that I cannot figure out." She wrinkled her brow. "Plus she made some small modifications in the actual spell to perfect it so that she could use it later on other people I think. It looks like she actually did the spell more than once. At least four times if I have it figured it correctly. Although why she would have done it that many times I cannot figure out by the last time through she had the spell down pact."

I stiffened beside Eric, four times, she had done the spell four times, and it did not take a huge leap to figure why she had done the spell four times, if you knew everything that I knew. I buried my face in Eric's side and couldn't help it I started to cry. I also knew what this meant, many more nights of dealing with my death at the witches hands and me feeling every single drop of that pain.

Eric pulled me up on his lap and folded me in his strong arms he rocked me gently and begun to sing his little lullaby to me. "What did I say?" Ruby Anne sounded scared and confused. I did not have the strength to answer her and Eric was occupied on keeping me calm. I felt him move slightly and I figured he must have nodded at Pam because I heard her answer Ruby Anne's question.

"The reason that the witches performed that spell four times is because they tortured Aude so badly that they broke her body to the point of where she died. Every time that she died they would call her back and repeat the process. The last three nights the memories of this has been coming back to her through her dreams. Tonight, it was so bad that she suffered physical injuries that mirror what happened to her in the dream. Although the injuries are just presenting themselves as welts and bruises at this point I think with your little revelation we all fear how much worse it will get for her. From what I can tell the first two nights no actual injuries carried over." She looked at Eric and raised an eyebrow as if asking was this correct.

"I did not even know about the first dream until she told us tonight but the second dream no she had no physical injuries." I could hear him clenching his teeth. "It seems that she is connected to the two events simultaneously while in dream state. She showed me what occurred during this last dream at one point she had heard Quinn ask a question while we were trying to figure out what to do for her. Her body was convulsing and none of us knew how to deal with it. But, when she heard Quinn in the here and now she murmured his name while they where torturing her. It carried over and they beat her harder demanding that she tell them how she knew Quinn. How she was connected to him. I am sure as you know that they were very aware of whom Quinn was. They also knew there was no way that she could possibly know who he was. Given the circumstances of who she is and where she comes from."

"What is it that you need from me?" Ruby Anne asked. "I will do whatever I can for Aude, I have come to think on her as a daughter."

"Well," Eric said. "we need multiple things from you. It is more of a series of questions that we want answered and we are hoping that you will have the answers."

"Just ask if I can answer I will. If I can't I will consult my coven and we will see if all of us can come up with the answers together. They all are very fond of Aude as well."

"Good" Eric said. I had calmed completely and he slid me back to his side so I could participate in the conversation. "I think, we will deal with some of the less painful questions first. If I changed her into a vampire tonight would she survive the process or would the magic's that brought her back fight against the transformation?"

I could see Ruby Anne thinking that answer over very carefully. I placed my hand on Eric's thigh so he could see everything I was seeing. She so did not want to answer this question and she had the answer but she did not want him to change me. "Ruby Anne" Eric said. "I know you love Aude and you do not want her to become one of us but she is my wife and she is her own person and can make her own decisions if this is what we both desire why would you stand in the way of that?"

She nodded once to herself indicating she had made up her mind. "I never thought I would say this, but I know you love her. I can see it, you would never let anything bad happen to her and part of being able to protect her is making it her more difficult for her to die. As a human she can get sick or she can simply trip and be gone. I can see your reasoning and why you would want her to change" Ruby Anne leaned forward and got a very serious look on her face and said. "but if you ever, ever hurt her Vampire I will pound the stake into you myself."

I had expected Eric to burst with anger or laugh at Ruby Anne's absurd threat but he just nodded leaned forward a fraction of inch and said. "I would sharpen it for you and have Pam hold me down."

Ruby Anne looked from Eric to Pam and nodded once in approval she scooted back in her chair relaxing and Eric mimicked the movement. "Yes she can be turned; she is human through and through. There is no magic making it so that she can walk and talk if that was the case I think that she would have perished along with Hallow and Mark because the only other spell I had ever heard capable of doing this was where someone gave up part of their life force in order to reanimate the body. I had suspected that Hallow had called a demon forth and evicted them somehow and used their shell to put in Aude's essence if you will. This however is not the case as I can see from the spell. It looks like Hallow reached through time and just pulled her forward."

"How is that possible? From what I know Aude actually died in child birth from infection or hemorrhage." Bill asked.

Ruby Anne turned to him. "She didn't do it on purpose, Hallow was just grasping through time trying to find the one thing that would hurt Eric the most and would be able to track him no matter where he was. Hallow was vague enough that the spell choose Aude, I think the reason that it choose her though is because she is the only thing he has ever truly been connected so strongly to. In his vampire life he obviously had never let anyone become so close to him. So the spell had to go into before his vampire life. I think from the configuration of the spell she was aiming for Pam though."

That stopped everyone. Pam snorted. "Why would she think I would ever lead her willingly to Eric?"

"Because you are his child and she knew this somehow and although your connection because of this is very strong I think she put too much credit into that connection and over emphasized that connection in the spell itself. That is why it choose Aude instead of you, Halo demanded a much higher level of connection then you had. It is not that the connection between the two of you isn't very powerful because it is and if Hallow wouldn't have been specific as to the level of the connection that she wanted I think she would have succeeded in trapping you for her purposes."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

We all sat and thought about that for a long time. It could have been Pam being tortured to no end in that basement and she was much harder to kill and there where a million worse ways to torture her than to torture me. I was suddenly very grateful that Hallow had gotten me instead of Pam. "I am glad that Hallow's spell went wrong." I said. Eric, Bill and Quinn all hissed in surprise and anger at me. Ruby Anne looked approving, but Pam just looked shocked and confused.

"Why on earth would you say that?" Eric hissed at me. "I saw what the … witch did to you why would you be glad for it."

I looked up at him. "Oh I am not glad for what she did to me; I am glad that it wasn't Pam. They could have done much worse things to her and her body wouldn't have just given out because of the damage. She would heal and they could do it over and over again. What they did to me was bad enough but what they could have done to her …" I let my words fall off and shuddered. "I would never wish that on anyone least of all Pam." I shrugged. "I love her and it would kill me for her to have to endure something like that just the thought of them inflicting that on her hurts me."

I felt a whoosh of air beside me and I turned towards it to find Pam sitting right next to me and pulling me away from Eric into her arms. She hugged me tight for a long time never saying a word out loud. I could feel her love for me and the new tenderness that she now bore me. She pulled back let me go quickly and whooshed back to where she was sitting before as if she had never moved and said. "Why on earth would you think such of thing? I would never be so self sacrificing." She laughed and turned back to the room.

I could feel that she was uncomfortable with her display of emotion so I turned to Ruby Anne and said. "What about my power's or gifts or whatever you want to call them. What is the deal? I know that I never had them before."

"And will she still have them when she is converted?" Eric said.

"Hmm," Ruby Anne said Eric reached out and pulled me back into my little niche at his side and I snuggled up tight against him. "I think it is just a side effect. Every human has the potential to do what you are doing. I think that when she brought you over she opened up your mind and each time she brought you over she opened it up a little further. She had already established that she wanted to be able to draw on the psychic connection that you and Eric have. From what I can tell the spell she was casting the night that we ambushed them was her weaving the two of you together even tighter preparing for another round of torture that would force Eric to go there and investigate. I think that once he showed up she would have tied you even tighter to the point of where if she physically harmed you she could physically harm him.

"I would have to look at that spell a little more to be positive. It is not as important as she never finished the second part of it. She just kind of fine tuned Aude's mind to the point of no matter where you are and how far away you two are she can tune in to you, see you and hear you. It was only amplified by the side effect of her opening up Aude's other abilities that she gave to her.

"I think the reason why it is much easier for her to tune into vampire and shifter thoughts is because of that connection and that well she was dead too several times over as it turns out. Easier to tune into the different and weird when you have touched the divine and found out all of its secrets. If your culture would have believed in reincarnation I would have said that Aude, is just the reincarnated version of her former self and had been living a different life somewhere. But I checked all of that already; I wanted to make sure that she wasn't missing from a family and life somewhere. I have sources on the police force wares and shifters who feel kindly towards me and did me a favor ran her prints through the system pawed through all the missing person reports, birth records. She didn't exist before Hallow brought her back."

Quinn laughed. "I heard about that. I heard about you asking about some mystery woman and all the hours that the community poured into locating her."

Ruby Anne just nodded. "That is how I figured out that your culture didn't believe in reincarnation. It was actually quite fascinating." Eric scowled at her. "In a morbid sort of way, I mean really how often to you get to find out about a culture that was completely wiped off the map almost a thousand years ago." Eric glared again. "Anyways," she said uncomfortably. "as far as if she will have her powers when she is converted, your guess is as good as mine. I know nothing about the conversion process or if part of your special abilities are tied into potential that you already had in your human lives. So I guess you will just have to wait and see."

This only left the big bad thing that I really wanted to avoid and apparently so did everyone else. I sighed closed my eyes. "The dreams." I began hesitantly. "They are going to kill me eventually." I made it a statement and not a question.

"Yes." Ruby Anne said.

Everyone sat very still; I felt hot tears slowly slide down my cheeks. Eric broke first. "I will not let that happen. I will turn you tonight if you are vampire you will be able to endure much more and get through until they are done."

"Maybe." Ruby Anne said. "Maybe not."

Eric whirled on her. "What do you mean woman?" he demanded.

"They are physic scars. When you told me what was happening I looked at Aude's sprit for lack of a better term, and they are embedded there very deep. I think that the conversion would not make a difference. With as violently as her body is reacting to them I think all it would do is buy her some time. There is something not quite right about it. That is all I can say without looking into it further."

Eric was trembling in his fear and anger at Ruby Anne's words. "You think," he hissed angrily. "YOU THINK!"

I squeezed his thigh and said. "Eric it is not her fault." He stiffened but he shut his mouth and bit his lip he knew I was right and he did not want to upset me. I braced myself and asked. "How long?" I looked at my hand placed on Eric's thigh.

"It is not sure." Ruby Anne started.

"Tell her." Quinn growled. I felt Bill get up cross the room and stand behind me placing his hands on my shoulders Pam was at my side holding my other hand.

Ruby Anne sighed. "Six days at least. If it follows the pattern you gave me no more than nine days maybe twelve at the most depending on how quickly the violence on your physical body increases. Tonight should be them raising you no physical injury, then your ummm time with Mark, and finally your eventual death at their hands. It is all very dependent on how long they drew things out and how long they had you all together. Even if Eric converted you I don't think it would make much difference. It might prolong things for a month.

"The damage is coming from the inside. Even being a vampire cannot protect you from that. It would just make it harder to kill you. You might survive it if you were converted but I am positive that it is on a loop of some kind you would have to endure that every day for eternity. Your physical body might and that is a big might survive but I doubt that your mental state would survive much more than six months. The attacks are increasing in intensity you would have to endure more and more. Even the best of us could not endure that continues level of torture for long."

"I will change her then now give us some time to figure out how to fix it." Eric said shakily.

"Why would you want to subject her to that months and months of torture and pain just because you are selfish? This would not be happening if she had just listened to me and never graced your doorway. Her coming to you triggered it somehow. I see it clear as a bell, a glowing red seed planted deep within her. Your love sprouted that seed." Ruby Anne spit the words angrily at Eric.

Eric was on his feet and across the room. He loomed over Ruby Anne and roared with anger at her. "Eric." I said quietly. "Enough, what's done is done." He trembled his rage was palpable. "I would not want to endure that for the rest of my life and she is right why would you want me to?"

Eric turned and stared at me like I had just slapped him. "Pam." I said. "Take him for some fresh air please so that I can talk to Ruby Anne more." She nodded once at me and went to Eric gently grabbing his arm to lead him from the room. I could feel Eric's hurt that I wanted him to leave. I smiled at him. "I do not want you to leave husband, I need you to go though, calm yourself so that you can think more clearly. I will be fine. William and Quinn will watch over me. JAG älska du. (I love you)"

He pulled away from Pam crossed the room to me bent forward took my face in both his big strong hands and kissed me fiercely. His fangs had been out in his rage so they bruised and cut my lips. I wanted to pull away but I knew he needed this and I needed to be strong for him. He pulled away finally and said. "And I you wife."

"I know." I smiled weakly at him. "Go, calm yourself."

He pulled away from me gently and let Pam lead him out the front door. I waited until I knew he would be far enough to be unable to hear me and I buried my face in my hands and cried.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

I felt the couch shift slightly and the familiar arm of Ruby Anne slid over my shoulders. I turned into her and buried my face in her shoulder. "I wonder, Bill could you go and make us some more tea and Quinn can you go and get some tissues." I knew she really didn't want these things but she wanted to give me some space to calm myself down. Bless her.

Bill squeezed my shoulder. "We will be close, if you need us just yell." I nodded my head once against Ruby Anne's shoulder, I felt there presence slowly slip out of the room.

"Child," Ruby Anne said stroking my hair. I pulled back and looked into her face. "I know it seems unfair and impossible but you can make it through this. I know you have it in you."

I nodded at her. "Is there any way to fix this, stop it somehow?"

She placed her warm dry hands on either side of my face and closed her eyes. I felt her moving around inside me probing the internal scars gently. "Well, I was right; this was triggered by your reunion with Eric." She hissed slightly. "It's a spell. As Mark and Halo tortured you they enchanted you at the same time. It was so that they could torture you again when they captured him. They wanted to manipulate you both physically and mentally against Eric." She paused for a moment. "They could turn the volume up or down on the memories. It seems like there is fail safes in place where only they can remove it …" she got quite for a minute. "tricky, tricky, there is also a failsafe in place for if they are not here when the memories resurface they get amplified by 100 every time they repeat. I was right too about the time table it looks like once in they kept you alive for two days of torture." She did a little tally in her head. "Seven days until your body can't take it anymore."

"Can you remove it?" I asked.

"Maybe with time but we don't have the kind of time I would need and I think if Eric did convert you I wouldn't be able to do it at all the magic's would kind of freeze I think and glue together so I couldn't remove one without removing the other. It looks like in order to be removed completely you have to have a duo. One to stand in for Mark and one to stand in for Halo, I will try though to figure it out nonstop before time is up. I think though we have to have Mark and Hallow to do it. There are all kinds of traps and tricks tucked into the spell if I just went blundering in it would not only cost you your life but it would undoubtedly cost me mine as well as anyone who was tied in to the spell helping me try to disconnect the problems." She concentrated for a moment and shook her head sadly. "There is a genetic signature here for the spell to recognize; if someone tries to remove the spell without having that genetic signature it would be instant barbeque. If we just had a bit more time then I could find a way to circumvent all of this. It's a real nasty piece of work."

"If we need Mark and Hallow to undo this to my wife then we shall have Mark and Hallow." Eric said from behind me. Ruby Anne and I both jumped. Ruby Anne's hands fell away from my face and into her lap.

"Are you insane? For one there is no way we could bring them back, for another even if we could it would be way to dangerous. Why would they even help us? What if they escaped? There is just too many variables." Ruby Anne said.

I saw the thoughts turning in his head and sighed. "Eric, we do not know if that would work. The only reason it worked for me is because of our connection. We have no connection to speak of with them."

"Oh but you do." Pam said her voice dripping with anger that I didn't understand. "Your, mentor said it herself, there is a genetic signature in that spell embedded in you. I am positive that it would work the same way. I would relish the opportunity to have another little chat with Hallow." She smiled. "I never did get a chance to have one with Mark." She pouted a little and then brightened and turned to Ruby Anne. "Believe me, I can be very persuasive, Hallow broke and removed the spell from Eric in under four hours." She looked pleased with herself. "I believe that was a new record even for me." She smiled brightly she looked like the cat who had just eaten the canary.

Ruby Anne was shaking her head back and forth. "I will not bring them back to life just so that you can torture them to death again."

Eric walked over and placed one hand on the side of my face looking down at me lovingly. His look was so gentle and sweet but what he said did not match that look. "You said I was selfish for wanting to subject Aude to a lifetime and torture. I say you do not love her as much as I do because you are letting your little morals contradict what needs to be done to save her. You knew that Hallow and the other witches where going to die before even said that they had to, you did not have a problem with it then."

"This is different." Ruby Anne stuttered.

"HOW?" Eric demanded. "You say you love my wife, you say you would remove the spell on her if you had more time, you say that there is no other way to remove the spell without Mark and Halo both. Why not bring them back and do what needs to be done to save my wife? Please tell me is there another way to do this before her time runs out?"

Ruby Anne glowered at him and thought furiously but finally conceded. "Not in time to save her no there would be no other way. It is just too dangerous Eric, if they escaped…"

"There has to be precautions that you can take to ensure that that very thing does not happen." Pam sneered at Ruby Anne.

"Well of course there is protection spells that I could put in place but they are not infallible." Ruby Anne snapped. "Besides they have their own magic they could turn it against you."

"It occurs to me," Quinn said quietly. "That if they could give Aude power we could bind there's, or at least hold it back for awhile say six hours." He said looking over at Pam.

"Yes, six hours will be more than enough time. It's a shame really." She pouted. "I really would like to have an opportunity to play with them longer than that."

"Well this isn't about your fun Pam." Bill snapped at Pam.

I slumped forward and put my head in my hands, I was suddenly very tired. I did not have the energy to listen to them bicker at each other. "Enough." Eric snapped quietly at both of them. "Will you do this Ruby Anne or will you condemn my wife to death?"

There was a long silence. "I will need to bring most of my coven here to pull it off."

"Not here, Fangtasia. We have ample space in the basement and few escape routes."

"I need time to prepare."

"How much time? I was thinking we could do this tomorrow night." He said.

"No, not tomorrow, the day after I could do it by then, we need to study the spell make adjustments to it so that we can put in all the precautions that it will need."

"But, her dreams." He said.

"I can give you some tea to help to keep her from convulsing when she comes back through to this side but I cannot stop or ease the dreams. They will progress regardless until we remove the spell. All I can do is help to ease the transitions. If she drinks the tea right before she falls asleep and right after she awakes she will not convulse. That is what I am worried about honestly. I am afraid that the convulsions will damage her brain."

"Fine." Eric said clearly unsatisfied with her answers but there wasn't much else he could do but to accept them. "You cannot take the whole spell book." He said firmly.

"But…" she started and some look on his face must have stopped whatever she was going to say.

"You can see why I would not want that particular book falling into the hands of someone dangerous and if it is out of my sight it is not safe. Copy the spells you absolutely need to prepare, give Bill whatever information is needed for this tea for Aude, then leave. Call me tomorrow and check in to let me know what time you want to meet at Fangtasia." Eric scooped me in his arms and walked towards the stairs that led down to the bedrooms. I sent him some images. He stopped turned around and said. "She wants to know if William, John and Pam will stay the day or go?"

They all looked at each other for a long moment. Pam said. "I will stay, I need to go and get a bite to eat." She laughed at her own play on words.

"I will stay as well but I too require some sustenance." Bill said.

Ruby Anne said. "Someone will need to pick up a few things from a store for the tea."

"I will do that." Quinn said. "I am not going anywhere; I always love a good fight." He laughed.

"Good." Eric said. He turned to the stairs and slowly walked down to the bedroom below.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Eric and I just lay in the bed and held each other, for the longest time we didn't speak. There was no tension like there usually was when we were so close to each other. We were just plain checking out mentally and content to be comforted by the other. If either of us were thinking we had shut the other out so tightly that I was not even getting a hint of emotion.

Eric sat up and leaned over me and kissed my lips so softly it felt like rose petals against my lips. He lingered there but it wasn't feverish anger as our earlier kiss had been and it wasn't motivated my sexual fervor either. He was kissing me simply to kiss me because he wanted to because he enjoyed it there was something very fulfilling and comforting in that gesture.

"If something happens to you and you do not survive, I will get revenge for you and it will be bloody and it will be glorious. It will be like the days of old when I would go out and fight. There will not be anyone standing who dares stand in front of me. I will kill them all and piss on their broken bodies."

I laughed. "Can you even do that?"

"Can I murder people?" he asked slowly. "Aude, I have done it many, many times."

"No, no not that, I do not doubt for one second that you are a mighty force to be reckoned with." I laughed a smile spreading across my face from ear to ear. It felt good to smile, really smile after everything that happened today I did not think that a true smile would cross my lips anytime soon.

Eric cocked his head at me for a moment trying to figure out what I meant. I saw the moment that it clicked in his head because he too smiled from ear to ear and just laughed. His laughter spread to me and I laughed. My eyes watered and my ribs hurt and my cheeks burned from the insistent laughter but it felt good to laugh. It was wonderful.

After awhile we both calmed and he ran his fingers gently down my face. "Perhaps not that but I will think of something creative to do to defile there lifeless bodies."

I rolled my eyes at him. "I can think of better ways for you to spend time besides defiling the bodies of your enemies."

"Really, and what would that be?" he asked I could hear the first hint of heat rising in his voice and he was thinking naughty thoughts.

"Oh, hmmm, let me think …" I paused for a moment. "doing your taxes, picking up your laundry from the dry cleaners, returning your overdue library books, going bowling in those cute little rented shoes with one of those annoyingly loud bowling shirts. I can see the team slogan on the back 'This Blood's for you.' It would be to perfect." I smiled at him.

He looked utterly shocked. "Aude," he said in a shocked voice. "I think you just made a very bad pun at my expense."

I laughed. "Oh I did not think it was that bad, I actually found it to be rather amusing, but you are most definitely right it was at your expense." His jaw dropped in mock surprise at my audacity to make a joke at his expense.

I threw my head back and laughed. He touched my face lightly and brought me back to look at him. "I love your laugh, it warms me inside."

I rolled my eyes at him again. "My laugh is minor compared next to yours oh mighty one." I teased.

"You make it that way." He said. "Seriously though, if we could be doing anything now besides preparing for what is going to happen what would it be, what would you rather be doing right now?"

I thought about making another joke but I saw the look on his face so I gave it some thought. I closed my eyes and let the picture form in my mind. "I want to go to some random beach somewhere, with a large picnic of all my favorite foods, berries and wine, and cheese's. I want to lie in the sand and just talk with you for hours and hours just enjoying each other's company. I want to lie under the stars in your arms and have you teach me the different constellations. After a time we would go for a walk on the water's edge and just walk in silence just happy to be there with each other and content and comfortable in the silence. We would wander so far that the light of our fire would just be a small twinkle in the distance. You would kick sand at me playfully laughing; I would fain anger and splash you with the cold water washing up over our feet. We would play and laugh in the water, for awhile throwing each other about until we where both completely soaked from head to toe. Then I would kiss you very gently and you would wrap your arms around me tightly and pull me to you pressed firmly against you I would pull back slightly and say "Thanks for the wonderful evening I am tired I am going to go home and go to sleep now."" I opened my eyes and laughed.

"Oh you wicked, wicked woman." He laughed opening his eyes. I leaned up and kissed his nose lightly.

"Yes, yes I know I am sooo wicked. What about you love what would be your perfect evening with me."

He thought about that for a long time. "Hmm… I do not know. To be honest every moment with you is perfect." I laughed a small guffaw at him. "But…" he said silencing me with his eyes. "I would surprise you with the most beautiful gown you had ever seen. I would take you to the finest restaurant I would walk you slowly through knowing every man's eyes were on you that they desired you and that they where jealous that they could not have you. I would feed you everything your heart desired you would never have to pick up a fork. I would dote on your every desire all night. I would never take my eyes off of you. When you where quite satisfied I would led you to the huge dance floor that I had made the restaurant create just for you. There would be a live band with a beautiful singer, she would sing something slow and sexy and I would whirl you around the floor. There would be many men and women who would try and tear us away from each other but we cannot bare to be parted from each other's side. I would pull you close and run my fingers gently up and down your spine and just when I knew I could not contain my passion for you any longer I would lean close to your ear and whisper. "Thanks for the great evening but it's getting late and I need to get up early tomorrow for a big business meeting with the king of Texas.""

I opened my eyes and slapped his chest. "I guess I am not the only one who is wicked." I said.

"Oh no, I assure you, I can be quite wicked." He waggled his eyebrows at me and I laughed again.

He got all serious for a moment. "If you die, I will join you."

"NO ERIC!"

"Yes, wife, I have lived a long time and without you I see no point."

"Oh great gods Eric you are so dramatic, I know you love me. You do not have to kill yourself to prove it."

He kissed me gently and changed the subject. "So is there any other ways that you could see me spending my precious time besides filing my taxes and bowling." He kissed me long and hard heat rising up my body from the passion that kiss awoke.

He pulled back. "Oh I do not think so besides I think you would look cute in those cute little rented shoes."

He looked astounded. "Really there is nothing?" he was complexly flabbergasted.

"Oh come on Eric, you have to know you are the gods gift to women. Your prowess in the bedroom is unmatched and you know it."

He looked at me a wicked little grin on his face. "I don't believe you I think you only love me for my mind."

I laughed. "Is that not supposed to be a good thing?"

He ran his hands down my side slow and steady running his thumb in slow circles as he made his way down my body. He stopped at my hips and rubbed lightly. His long strong hands through the satin of the fabric felt wonderful. He wasn't touching anything inappropriate but that one touch made my body quiver for him. "I don't know." He whispered. "I want to be loved for my mind but I also want you to crave me. I want you to beg for me to enter you and bring you pleasure." He slowly moved his hand back up my body kneading at me gently with his hands. I closed my eyes and my body responded for him. I heard him chuckle low and quietly.

"Can you not think of anything else you desire, that I can give to you." He whispered into my ear his hot breath making me shiver. He ran his mouth back and forth along my neck blowing softly and rising goose bumps up and down my body.

I thought of a million teases that I could say but they all died on my lips. I think we had moved beyond the point of playful teasing. "Eric, I know you know I desire you but if every time I got an inkling of desire for you we would never have company and we would never leave the bedroom."

He laughed and softly started to kiss my neck flicking his tongue out in quick darting movements over the large pulse in my neck. A small gasp escaped my lips and I arched my back slightly. He laughed again but with his lips pressed against my neck the sound vibrated down my spine and even that made me gasp with excitement. He slid his hand underneath my back and lifted me up off the bed working his way towards the enormous headboard. He pressed me up against it and started kissing my neck harder more passionately. He ran his hand up my thigh and stopped just at edge of my lace panites. He pulled back slightly and closed his eyes.  
"What's wrong?" I asked I flicked through his head and saw that he was hungry and I did not understand why that was stopping him. It wasn't like he had not feed from me in just about every way in the last few days. "Eric, you can feed from me." I said gently. "I do understand. Besides it is very exciting wrapped up in the middle of all our passion."

He opened his eyes and smiled at me gently. "For one I do not want to get blood on that beautiful dress."

I laughed. "Well it wouldn't be the first outfit that didn't survive our lovemaking."

He smiled wider after a long moment he said. "I do not want to feed on you this time, I just want to make love to you for hours without that other stuff getting wrapped up in the middle. I want to just make love to you like a normal man."

I was shocked and surprised by this admission. "If you where a normal man you would never be able to make love to me for hours nor would you desire to and Eric I seem to recall that you have never been a normal man. You always loved to bite and hard, it is no wonder you ended up a vampire." I laughed. I leaned forward and kissed him hard and fierce showing him how much I desired him, how much he meant to me all wrapped up in that one kiss. I could feel him stirring between my legs and I rocked myself gently against him as I kissed him harder and faster. I kept waiting for him to rip my clothes off and ravage me uncontrollably as he had so many times before. But the pressure just kept building and building and building I thought I was going to burst with the waiting for that release. He clutched at my ass and helped me rock harder against him. I couldn't take it anymore. I pulled back from his lips and said "Oh god gods please Eric."

He smiled at me softly. He started kissing along my color bone and nibbling ever so gently so that he didn't draw blood but the new position ground him into me harder. I moaned once. "Please what." He whispered against my skin.

I arched my body backwards and he was kissing gently between my breasts. I rolled my hips for him trying to show him exactly what I wanted. I heard a low moan escape his own lips I thought for sure that would be it but he just started kissing the sides of my breasts harder and clutched my ass even tighter and pushed me against to him even harder. I cried out with the pleasure and pain of it. "Please Eric, Please." I begged.

He got very still and leaned me forward so that I was looking in his eyes. "Please what." He whispered his blue eyes sparkling with pleasure.

"Please, I want you right now. I cannot take it anymore. I want you inside me more than anything." He spun me around and laid me and sat me on the bed. He pulled my dress up and off in one quick movement. He put one hand on the back of my neck and gently guided me down flat on the bed. He was in a pushup position above me our bodies barely touching, he just looked at me for so long. And he shook his head back and forth slightly. "How did I get so lucky? What have I done that is so good that I have you? I have done so many terrible things how could I deserve to be so happy?"

I was startled by his statement, he looked so unsure and so unbelieving, he truly believed that he did not deserve to be happy. I grabbed the side of his face and said. "You are a good man Eric, and you deserve to be happy regardless of the things that you have done. You are loyal and good and kind but you are also fierce and ruthless when you need to be. You will do whatever it takes to protect those around you. I would not love you if all those things were not true but here I am and I love you more than I have words to express. And when all this is over if I survive I will take you somewhere anywhere find a good priest from our religion, if one still exists, and have him marry us all over again so that I can reaffirm to you just how much I love you. I will scream it to the world Eric Son of Chief Alexander is a good man and is loved by his wife Aude daughter of Ivar."

He smiled at me leaned forward and kissed me deeply and we made love, for hours. The whole time never taking our eyes off the others, showing the other every passion and pleasure we experienced by being with the other. It was so beautiful I wept with joy, our bodies, minds and souls connected in every way.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

I was just drifting off to sleep when I heard a soft whisper from the doorway. "Is she sleeping?" I stirred slightly.

"I was." I murmured into Eric's chest.

"I'm sorry." Bill said. "It is just that I have that tea Ruby Anne said you should drink."

"Leave it on the bedside table and go." Eric said curtly.

I opened my eye and looked at the clock. It was four in the morning. I sighed. "Eric, go get something to eat love. I will drink my tea and I believe that William is going to help me put my hair into a braid so that it does not get all tangled."

"Are you sure?" he asked I could tell that he did not want to leave me alone even for a few moments.

"Go, I will be fine." I kissed his chest and then his lips softly. Bill turned his back and Eric got out of the bed and quickly threw on some flannel pajama pants and tied the waist tightly.

He leaned over the bed and kissed my forehead gently. "I will be just upstairs if you need me."

I nodded once. "Go, have a good meal." I smiled up at him. He laughed and bounded out of the room and up the stairs. I tucked the sheet around me like a sari and said. "Okay you can turn back around now."

Bill looked over his shoulder and then back at the wall. "You still have no clothes on."

I laughed. "Well, I have no pajamas; it was the one thing you did not get for me. Besides I am wrapped up nice and tight in the sheet you will not see anything. It cannot be any worse then what you saw in Eric's head earlier. Come," I patted the bed. "Let me try this tea and help me with my hair."

"True, he does have a very graphic memory." He laughed walked across the room and handed me the cup of tea. He gently climbed up on the bed behind me and started to work taking my hair out of all the complicated twists and braids that Pam had thrown it up in.

I sipped at the tea and found it to be surprisingly pleasant. It was sweet like honey and smelled divine. "I hope the tea was not too much trouble to make." I said after awhile.

"No it was very easy to make. She left very specific and easy to follow instructions." We grew silent again and I just enjoyed him playing with my hair while I slowly drank my tea. I felt him finishing up my braid just as I was finishing the last drop of my tea. I leaned back against him and I felt him jump slightly in surprise.

"I'm scared William."

"Of what, sweet girl." He kissed the top of my head gently and wrapped his arms around me. It was nothing sexual it was just very comforting and brotherly.

I sighed. "Of everything, of this plan to bring Mark and Hallow back, of the dream I know I have to face tonight, that you, Pam and John are all going to get hurt or worse in this crazy attempt to save me, and most of all what will happen to Eric when all this goes badly and I die again. He told me he will meet the sun right after I die. I do not think I could bear the thought of him going to his death just because I die again. I am not even supposed to be here."

"Everything will be fine," he said soothingly. "you are one of the strongest women I have ever met. You can get through this child and everything will work out perfectly. Don't be afraid, everything will be fine." He rocked me gently and started to hum some tune I didn't recognize in my ear. That was Bill he was a great listener gods bless him but he would say anything to make you feel better even if he knew it was a lie.

He stroked my hair over and over again and eventually I drifted off to sleep against him. I didn't even feel Eric climb back into bed with me. I was so tired and my dreams had been so restless that I didn't feel like I had gotten any sleep in the last three nights. I just enjoyed the momentarily peaceful oblivion.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

I opened my eyes, and found myself surrounded my hooded figures, not again my rational brain thought, I knew this was a flashback, spell, curse whatever you want to call it. I knew what it was and I so wanted to wake up. I tried to slap myself mentally but my body acted of its own volition and began to fight the hooded figures. I noticed they were ready for me this time, they were not going to be caught unaware of my deep seeded fight and flight desires. Mark stood at the end of the long wooden table holding me down, he was already half shifted into his half-wolf form and I could see the muscles and tendons underneath his skin rearranging themselves.

I felt my body start to convulse as it always did when I was in this state but this time wasn't as bad as the others. I knew I was screaming for mercy in Swedish to them but they were just leering at me especially Mark, he knew I was for dinner and the successful second cross over meant that he could break me and put me back together again without a second thought. I wanted to wipe that sickly smile off his face and scare the hell out of him, I thought with my rational mind. I closed my eyes and concentrated with all my might to force my dream body to listen to the rational mind trapped inside.

My eyes flew open and I lifted my head and looked down at Mark and smiled, I could see his expression falter even hidden behind the fur and misshapen face. "Eric is going to kill you Mark, he fucking loathes your ass so much that we are going to raise your ass and kill you twice. He is going to rip you apart one limb but not before ripping out your eyes and using your empty orifices for his enjoyment and I will watch and enjoy every last moment." I threw my head back and saw Halo panic stricken as well I laughed a large laugh mixed with panic and glee. Clearly taunting my captors was not the brightest idea in the world because Mark reached up as high as his arms would allow, on my thighs and raked those long wicked claws down me. I screamed, the pain was enough to push my rational mind, the part of me that knew this was just a dream and that I was really lying comfortably in Eric's arms, so deep to the back of my head that it almost hurt.

I went back to jabbering at them in Swedish and they tried to no avail to get me to speak perfect English again. When they tired of poking and prodding me for the moment, back in the cold basement I went to await Mark and whatever tortures he had in store for me this time. They threw me roughly down the wooden stairs, I could feel the unsanded wood leaving chunks and splinters every where my body rolled. My bruised and bloody body hit the floor, I had landed face down and I couldn't get a good breath, they had broken one of my ribs. I tried to take deep breaths but with every breath not only came the sharp pain of my lungs struggling to let in air but I inhaled part of the dirt floor that lay beneath me which only caused me to cough and splutter aggravating my lungs further.

I gingerly rolled onto my back and laid there concentrating on taking in small greedy gulps of air instead of the deep breaths I had tried previously. I gently sat up trying not to jostle my ribs too badly but no matter how careful I was I still aggravated the broken rib. I jerked and screamed with the pain of it, I was just starting to breathe through the pain when another seizure rocked my body and threw me backwards slamming my head against the ground beneath me. Everything slowly started to fade to grey, large blotches of light skimmed across my vision; I could feel myself slipping under into unconciseness.

Why hadn't Eric woken me yet, maybe he hadn't risen himself yet, my rational mind slowly started slipping into the front of my brain again. I tried to concentrate and I could feel Eric shaking me trying to get me to wake, I could hear Quinn, and Bill arguing back and forth loudly about something, I could hear Pam in the back round further away from me talking hurriedly with someone, it was a one sided conversation though, she must be on the telephone. Finally Eric's voice floated into my head, I could hear him calling to me trying desperately to get me to wake up. I focused on that voice, it was like the volume was turned way down I could barely make out what he was saying. "AUDE! WAKE UP DAMNIT! LISTEN TO ME YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP!"

I concentrated harder on that voice the volume surrounding my actual body started slowly turning up. "I ORDER YOU TO WAKE UP NOW!" Eric said desperately. I would follow that voice anywhere, and I would do anything he asked of me. I made up my mind to wake up and my eyes flew open to the cacophony that surrounded me. Quinn and Bill where racing back and forth across the room, Pam was in the doorway pacing restlessly, and Eric hovered over me tears streaming down his face. I sat straight up startled by everything that was going on and I screamed and fell back to the bed.

I wasn't sure what hurt worse the rib that I knew was broken or the searing pain that was running up and down my legs. I could feel Quinn and Bill busy at work on my legs, I couldn't tell if they were just trying to stop the bleeding or if they where stitching me up. It didn't really make any difference because with the slightest of touches on either of my legs shooting pains rushed through me. I cleared my throat and croaked. "Please everyone just stop for one moment." The men didn't listen they just kept on thinking I must be out of my skull or something. I could just make out Pam and she had frozen with my plee. "Pam, come here." I was gritting my teeth the pain in my legs and chest threatening to break in just one long scream.

In a blink Pam was at my side and bent very close to my mouth so she could hear me clearly. "Get them out, please just for a moment. Make them leave please." I begged.

She just nodded at me and turned to the others. "STOP!" she bellowed and you got to give Pam credit when she was vocal and demanding people listened. "OUT NOW!" they all froze looking from her to me. "Give her a moment just go I will call you back when she is ready." Quinn and Bill looked at her for a long moment but some look on Pam's face that I couldn't see made them slowly rise from the bed and walk out of the room. Pam turned her attentions to Eric who clearly was not going to listen to her. He opened his mouth to argue and held up one pale delicate hand.

"Go, get something to eat, she just needs a moment to calm and breath through the pain. Plenty of time for you to grab a bite." She laughed a small little giggle laughing at her own joke. "You won't be any good to her if you starve yourself." Eric squeezed my hand gently and walked out of the room. He paused at the doorway briefly and turned towards me, he opened his mouth as if to say something, closed it obviously realizing whatever he had to say was either not important or could wait for later. He turned and disappeared out the door and up the stairs.

I just laid there for a long time trying to breathe through the pain without making any noise. After awhile Pam slid on the bed, careful to not jostle me in anyway, and said. "I spoke with Ruby Anne and she was quite curious as to why you where inflicted with these injuries? She says that it should have been just a simple raising and nothing more than a few bruises. So why then are you so injured?"

I looked up into her big blue eyes and said weakly. "It is never a good idea to torment your tormenters." I smiled at Pam but only half heartedly.

Pam raised one blonde eyebrow at me. "Explain."

I sighed gently, noticing the pain was getting easier to deal with every second. "I told them, Mark and Halo, Eric was going to kill there asses again. I laughed at them and I scared the hell out of them."

She sat for a long moment taking in what I had just said. "You told them Eric was going to kill them again?"

"Yes, Pam, I remembered that when I had heard Quinn the night before and spoken his name that they reacted to it. I wanted to twist the knife a little, I suppose, for everything they have done to me. As soon as I could get my dream mind to sync up with my actual mind I looked Mark dead in the eye and told him that Eric loathed him so much that he was going to raise him just so that he can have the joy in ripping him limb from limb. Let's just say he did not react well to this news." I coughed and a spasm went through me and I could not help but cry out this time.

Eric was just there looming at the edge of the bed. I smiled at him weakly and said. "Hey you, come on over here."

He slowly slid across the bed a serious look on his face. "Aude, I need you to do something for me and not argue with me. I need you to just trust me and do as I ask, can you do that love?"

"What?" I said suspiciously.

"You have lost a lot of blood, and I am afraid that the damage to your legs might be permanent if swift action is not taken, not to mention the fact that I think that you might have nicked one of your lungs when your rib cracked."

I nodded. "I know you are being cautious because you think I am going to react badly to something but honestly Eric at this point I am so hurt and so exhausted that I just want you to tell me what you need me to do."

He motioned for Pam to leave she looked from Eric to me and I nodded at her telling her that I was going to be okay. She rose and I noticed she was looking very thoughtful, turned and walked out.

After Pam left Eric looked at me and smiled I could tell he was trying to phrase what he wanted to say to me very carefully. "Aude," he began and paused for a minute. "Wife I need you to drink some of my blood, you will recover almost instantly and it will insure that you are no longer in danger."

I crinkled my forehead. "Eric, is this what is having you acting like I am going to go running for the door screaming."

"Well … yes." He said startled.

"Do I really want to know the reason why you think I would run, if I could, screaming from the room. It is not an unreasonable request and I am hurt badly enough to understand that something has to be done and soon."

"You never cease to amaze me Aude." He laughed. He bit his wrist and I could hear a grating sound like someone dragging a heavy chair across cement. Eric placed his wrist to my lips and I took one big swallow, I could feel the tenderness in my ribs ease. I took another swallow and the pain in my legs dulled. Another and my breathing wasn't labored. Slowly one sure swallow at a time I could feel my body mending itself and I was grateful.

Eric pulled away and kissed my lips licking up the little drops of blood that had managed to escape the corners of my mouth. He gently disengaged from my eager lips because, even though just moments ago I had been in too much pain to bear any of them, I was unbelievably interested in turning that kiss into much much more. He chuckled at me softly and said. "You need a shower and food and if you keep kissing me like that I will not let you leave this bed for the rest of the night."

I groaned a disappointed sound and sat up just a little so I could burry my face in his chest. Although when I sat up I notice that I really did need a shower. My legs where completely coated in blood. I sighed. "All right but do you have something I can wrap up in and not care if it gets ruined. I do not really have a robe or pajamas or well much of anything except the few clothes that William brought for me."

Eric practically leaped from the bed and across the room in one large bound. There was a large amore in the far left corner of the room that I hadn't noticed before. I had to give myself a little credit though, typically when we were down here I wasn't thinking about much except what lay in the bed next to me. And often we were so preoccupied with other things that well I wasn't really taking in the surroundings of the room.

Eric ruffled through the amore until he found what he was looking for and smiled. He held up a large black t-shirt that would fit me like a dress but would do for the walk up the stairs through the living room and into the back of the house to the waiting bathroom. I slipped the shirt on and when my head popped out I noticed Eric was pouting.

"What's wrong?" I asked worried.

He shook his head sullenly. "It is never a good thing to see you putting clothes on."

I just laughed slid out of the bed and ran up the stairs through the living room and into the waiting bathroom without a second glance at Eric or any of the people sitting in our living room. That stopped me for a second as I was stepping into the large shower, our living room. That was the first time I had used that word but it felt good. I tried it on for size out loud. "Our living room," I giggled. "Our kitchen," I giggled again. "Our bedroom." Full on laughter this time. "Our house." I sighed content huh that was perfect. I slid into the shower and set about washing up.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Refreshed from my shower and feeling better than I had in days I strode down the hall on my way to the living room. I guess strode is too strong of a word, more like bounced maybe even skipped happily. I felt so wonderful, thanks in large part to Eric's blood donation, I was pain free and feeling fully rejuvenated. I had been feeling bone achingly weary the last few days. I hummed Eric's lullaby happily as I walked into the living room. The tune died in my lips and my anxiety flew through the roof all feelings of happiness and ease dying as I took in the room.

Pam, Quinn and Bill where scattered here and there throughout the room, they where all frozen in place and staring at me. Eric though, I realized, is what had caused my anxiety to ratchet to an all time high. He was pacing back and forth across the room, which on its own was an amazing display I had always gotten the impression that vampires do not fidget, but here he was fidgeting in anxiety and chewing on his nails to boot. Something was wrong and I so didn't want to ask. Damn it I was happy and I wanted to stay that way.

I sighed and resigned myself to whatever was ahead. "What has happened now?" I asked and walked over to flop on the couch. They all just stared at me; well almost all of them, Eric was still deep in whatever thoughts were consuming him. Fine, if they did not want to tell me I would just wait. I started about the task of brushing out my hair and waiting for them to clue me in. Before I could even finish one stroke though Bill was sliding behind me on the couch, he grabbed my brush and started slowly brushing out my hair. I could feel the anxiety coming off of him, and I got the distinct impression he was doing the familiar task more for his own comfort then for mine or a desire to help me out.

I really wanted to use the distraction of brushing and braiding my hair so that I wouldn't have to sit here anxiously waiting for the other shoe to drop. I almost protested to Bill but what good would that really do except upset him. Fine, "Tell me, what has happened that has you all on edge?" I looked at Eric expecting him to answer me but he just continued to chew on his fingers, he would not even look me in the face. I looked over at Quinn and he looked down at the floor the moment I caught his eyes. My eyes fell on Pam and at least she did not look away she just stared at me. I got little glimpses that I should know what the problem is but I just could not figure it out.

They were all trying very hard to block me out. "Okay, listen obviously it is something I already know, I can glean that from the few thoughts that the four of you are letting escape but honestly I cannot figure it out. I really do not want to force the issue but if you do not tell me I will figure it out by force." I said holding my chin up a little as if saying I dare you to try and stop me. "I am trying very hard to respect the privacy you all want to have within your own thoughts but none of you, except maybe Eric, can keep me out if I really make my mind up to wiggle my way in I can and I will if someone does not tell me right this instant what the heck is going on."

I was getting angry; I did not like being kept in the dark. Bill stroked my back in little circles trying to calm me but this only managed to make me angrier. I stood and crossed the room to Eric. I was absolutely fuming by the time I reached him. I stood in front of him my arms folded over my chest and waited. He did not even look at me though; it was like I was not even there. That was it my temper was true and fully lost, I raised my hand and flung it square at Eric's cheek. My fingers had just started to connect when Eric grabbed my wrist in his hand and looked at me. He was angry and now all that anger was directed at me.

I swallowed back the rush of fear I felt rising in my throat. "Well at least I got some kind of reaction out of you." I said trying to force my voice not to tremble as I said it. "You want to be angry at me, fine, be angry with me. You want to retaliate for my failed attempt at striking you, fine. You want to punish me for being so openly disrespectful to you in front of the others, fine; I deserve it for being so willful." I leaned closer to him to give the illusion of privacy at least; I knew full and well though that the others could hear every word I was saying. "Eric, your fear and anxiety are pounding against me and it is making me afraid. I do not know what has you so upset. You are so nervous you have bitten off all your nails and made yourself bleed." I nodded at his fingers and indeed the nails were almost completely gone. I could see that they where healing slowly but he had chewed them down to the quick. "I find it," I paused trying to find the right words. "disconcerting that something has you so rattled. I cannot take it." My voice quavered and I could feel the tears threatening to pour out of my eyes.

His face softened slightly and he pulled me roughly against him. He held me there for a long moment. This sudden reaction frightened me even more. He gently released me and placed a kiss on my lips just a small brush of movement. He took my hand and led me to the couch. "Bill go and get her tea."

Bill did not even blink he just rose and went to the kitchen to set about making me my tea. I curled my nose in distaste. "I do not know what good it will do. It did not work. I still convulsed and it was way more painful than the others that I have had."

Eric stiffened beside me. "What do you mean my wife, the tea did not work?" He kept his voice soothing as if he was talking to someone on the edge getting ready to jump.

"It did not work last night." I said and shrugged. "I still had the convulsions."

"No. Your physical body did not convulse." He said simply.

I thought about that for a moment. "Well, I felt them." Eric looked over at Pam and Quinn. Bill floated back into the room, handed me my tea and sat beside me and resumed the task of brushing my hair. "Okay that is enough," I said sharply. "Just tell me what the hell is going on!"

I had expected Eric or even Pam to pour forth with the explanation but to my surprise it was Quinn who said. "Aude, Pam said something about how you actually spoke with Mark and Halo last night and that was the reason that your legs got so damaged."

"Oh yes," I laughed "and I scared the hell out of them too. It was marvelous you should have seen their faces. It was very amusing and gratifying to see their death in their eyes. And they knew it was coming at my Eric's hands. Although they hurt me worse than they should have I found it very nice to be able to scare them just a little bit after everything they have done and are still doing to me."

The whole room got very quiet and Quinn said. "How did you do it?"

I shook my head. "I do not know really," I thought about it for a moment. "I knew going in that it was not real, I knew that I had interacted with them previously, when I said your name. So I knew it could be done so I tried it and it worked. It probably was not the best thing to do considering that they hurt me badly after my little comment but I think it was worth it. Is this what has you all so on edge?"

"Well, yes." Quinn said astonished at my flippant reaction. "How did you do it, is this going to speed up the time line, are you interacting with them in the past or are you conversing with the imprint of them that they left on you? If you are interacting with them in the past will it change something here in the future?"

I got a little flash from Pam; I turned to her and said. "What does Ruby Anne think Pam?"

She rolled her eyes at me. "I wish you wouldn't do that." Her accent thicker then usual I just shrugged. "She thinks that you are just conversing with the physic scars and imprints of them that they have left on you."

"And?" I prompted her because I knew there was more.

"She thinks this will speed up the time line of your …"she let the sentence die off.

"Death." I said simply. She just nodded. I shook my head at them in disbelief. "Can I just say that I think you all are being extremely stupid."

They all looked at me shocked, Bill laughed a little behind me. Eric was just incredulous and bellowed. "Hur kunde du säga sådan en sak? Du påverka varandra med den här ömklig ursäkta för mänsklig och de tortyr du igen. Du vilja kvinna du er går till få dig slaktat och där er inte en sak JAG kanna gör till stoppa den. JAG inte förstå hur du kanna ta all av den här så lätt. Varför skulle JAG jämn bekymra sig till oro när du rättvis öppet driva med den? Vill du inte förstå , eller er du rättvis dunkel kvick?" Eric had fallen into speaking our first language in his anger and frustration. His words stung me deeply, Pam gasped and Bill stiffened with anger behind me at Eric's words.

Quinn raised his hand and I looked over at him just so that I would not have to look into Eric's flaming blue eyes. He was well and truly pissed off. "Yes Quinn."

"Ummm… not all of us speak that language and I was just wondering what he had said."

I laughed nervously. "Well let me think." I ran it all through my head translating and said very slowly and distinctly. "How could you say such a thing? You interacted with those pitiful excuse for humans and they tortured you again. You willful woman you are going to get yourself killed and there is not a thing I can do to stop it. I do not understand how you can take all of this so lightly. Why should I even bother to worry when you just openly mock it? Do you not understand, or are you just dim witted?"

Quinn looked over at Eric a mixture of a scowl and disbelief on his face. Eric looked down at the floor in shame I thought. "How could you say that to her?" he spit venomously at Eric. "Oh wait I know the same reason you were able to drive a wedge between Sookie and I, because she is yours and you can do with her what please. Is that it?" he shook his head at Eric. "Maybe I should start treating women the way you do maybe I would have better luck. I cannot possibly see how you are worthy of either woman's love. If this is how you treat them how is it that you manage to keep them around putting up with you? Regardless of how good you are in the bedroom, you treat them like something foul you just stepped in. Are you going to brush Aude to the side when something better comes along like you have done with Sookie? Maybe it would be kinder of you to just let her die so that she doesn't have to see that." Apparently Quinn had been saving up for this little rant for awhile. His chest heaved with the anger that rushed through him and the relief at telling Eric how he really felt.

For a long time I thought that Eric was going to rip Quinn's throat out he was practically humming with anger. Eric looked like he kind of deflated and said slowly. "Your right," he nodded and turned to me kissing my cheek gently he said. "I'm sorry wife." He rose and walked out of the house.

I was so startled that I did not know how to react to Eric's leaving. I whirled on Quinn. "Fix this." I demanded.

"I will not he got exactly what he deserved." He snorted.

"FIX THIS! I appreciate you jumping to my defense but you will fix this. I know Eric has done wrong but if you could see in his head like I can you would know that he actually does love me. Besides no matter what he has done in the past you just did the very thing you accuse him of. I see it there in your head you think he's a heartless bastard. Did you ever think for one moment that he is reacting the way that he is because he is scared? What you just did was just as heartless John. Fix this, go and work out whatever you have to work out with him, just fix it and bring my husband back to me."

Quinn sighed. "I'm sorry." He got up and went after Eric.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

I was exhausted again; I slumped forward and put my head between my hands. "Eric will come back." Bill said.

"I know, he and Quinn are having a very vocal discussion at the moment but I know Eric will come back. I think he was just embarrassed because no one has ever truly put Eric in his place before. I mean honestly who would be stupid enough to talk that way to him, unless they have a death wish. I love Eric but gods know he has a temper on him and he thinks he is the gods gift to everyone. He needs someone to put him in his place once and awhile. If no one does Eric's … arrogance gets in the way."

Pam and Bill both laughed softly at this. "So if you are not worried about Eric's return what are you so worried about then?" Pam asked.

"We have to deal with this tonight I think. We have to raise Hallow and Mark and get this stupid curse or whatever it is off of me tonight. Not for myself but for Eric. I do not think he can deal with seeing me like I was earlier again. He is losing confidence fast because this is something he cannot control and he feels useless. Pam, will you call Ruby Anne and see if they can pull this off tonight?"

"Absolutely." She said and opened up her cell phone to call Ruby Anne. "Oh and Pam, you know that saying behind strong man stands a stronger woman?"

"Yes." She said confused.

"I need you to figure out a way that Eric thinks this is his idea. I am content pulling the strings from the back round and letting him think that he rules it all." She laughed and nodded at me.

I turned to Bill. "You wouldn't have happened to make me anything to eat have you?"

"No, but I could get something ready for you fairly quickly." He said standing.

I reached out and grabbed his arm. "No, I will do it. Actually now that I think about it, it would be nice to do something for myself. Not that I do not love having all of you dote on me so much but I am used to having to do things for myself." I went into the kitchen and thought carefully about what I wanted to make to eat. I poked through the various cupboards. I felt like something was just missing, I stood there for a long moment and thought about it. I wanted music; I looked around and didn't see a stereo anywhere so I took the chance. "Music." I said aloud. Music came flitting through hidden speakers it was something I didn't recognize, this wouldn't do. "City of Angels, Soundtrack." I said aloud the music paused briefly and switched over to the familiar soundtrack. Music was one of my favorite things about this time period and City of Angels had become one of my favorite mixes to listen to. It had a bit of everything on it from U2 to Alanis Moresette. I twirled in a circle and knew exactly what I wanted to eat.

I went to the task of gathering everything together and cooking it up, singing as loud as I could the whole time. I plated up my food, and Paula Cole's Feelin' Love came on. I closed my eyes and gently started swaying my body to the beat of the song that just oozes sex. I always loved this song and I never could help but dance to it. It always just compelled me to move and roll my body. Not putting a lot of thought into it I danced around Eric's kitchen to the familiar song. I rolled my hips and ran my hands up my body letting the music sweep me away. I felt a pair of hands slip on my waist from behind and moving his body very close to me. I knew it was Eric and I just went with the flow not missing a beat. Rocking gently around and round with the music and he responded in kind. We moved together as if we had done it a million times.

I spun around and faced him, just as the song ended and opened my eyes to look up at him. The magic of the song slowly releasing me, I was smiling at him but his face was anything but joyful he was looking at me like I was good enough to eat. The next song clicked on and it was Goo Goo Dolls Iris. He gently started to sway me back and forth with the slow melody. His eyes never leaving mine, he whirled me around and around and then lifted me and set on the counter he pushed his way between my knees so that he could get closer to me and he kissed me. Everything seemed to be just perfect, it all just clicked into place, the dance's the kiss everything was perfect and matched perfectly with the music that was coming to a crescendo. Again with perfect timing he lifted me off the counter and gently set me on the floor swirling me around the room again as the long solo had ended. He put both hands on the side of my face and said. "I'm sorry, can you ever forgive me."

"There is nothing to forgive, Eric. You were upset that is all…" he placed a finger on my lips to stop me.

"Do not make excuses for me. I behaved badly and I know it. Your excusing my behavior so easily proves John's point. You are way too good for me and I do not deserve to be with you." I scowled at him and then I had a sudden pang of fear this felt like a goodbye speech. I scanned the surface of his brain and found a great sadness there.

I stepped out of his arms and surprisingly he let me. Oh gods, my heart started to thud in my chest. "I am going to kill John. JOHN QUINN!!!" I screamed.

"They went ahead to the club; we are going to meet them there soon. We are going to do the raising tonight instead of tomorrow." He said softly.

I felt tears slide down my face this was it he was going to tell me he was done with me because I was too good for him. He had even sent everyone ahead so they wouldn't have to see the display that would undoubtedly ensue. I was going to somehow survive this night and kill Quinn for convincing Eric that we shouldn't be together. "You have such a rush of emotions crossing your face that I cannot discern what you are thinking Aude."

I looked him dead in the eyes and said. "Say what you have come here to say Eric. You sent all of them away so you could say something important to me. Say whatever it is and be done with it. Please do not spare my feelings it is already going to tear my heart out. Just do it."

He looked confused. "I do not understand."

"You are saying goodbye, I can tell, you are hinting that John is right that I am too good for you and you are being all noble and cutting me loose because you want what's best for me. But Eric, you are what is best for me if you are going to leave me or choose to not be with me then there is no point in my going to that club tonight. I will just go somewhere and let Mark and Halo's curse run its course because I could not stand it. Living each day and knowing you do not want me, what would I do with myself the whole reason I am here is because I love you. Without you there is nothing, I know that is dramatic and you probably think I would get over it eventually but Eric I would never get over it. I would never move on. I would just float through what remains of my life suffering." I looked Eric in the eye for the first time during my rant and he looked well and truly irritated.

I could tell that he was trying his best not to yell at me and I just knew that his mind was made up. I sighed and walked past him to go. "Stop." He said but I just kept going I was not going to listen to him coming up with excuses as to why it would be better for us not to be together. He grabbed my arm roughly and swung me back around into the kitchen. "I said stop." He said angrily.

"Why?" I said irritated. "So I can listen to you spout some bull shit drivel that Quinn has convinced you of. So you can try and convince me that we are better apart then we are together. What is it that you want from me Eric? I cannot take this worrying all the …" He placed one hand over my mouth.

"What I want right at this moment is for you to be quite." I tried to pull away from him but he held me firm. "You know woman, for someone who can read minds you never seem to get it right with me. Or you are not reading deep enough and thinking rationally when you do read my mind." I stilled under his hand. "Yes I was sad when I told you what Quinn had said to me, but mostly that was sadness for you because I do not understand how you would want to continue to be with me after treating you so horribly." I rolled my eyes at him clearly saying that he hadn't been so bad. "No, Aude my words were out of line, and I do not want to treat you that way. I am sad because I realize that I have treated many people that have cared for me this way. I do not want to make the same mistake with you. Gods know why but you want me and as long as you want me I will never leave you ever. I never want to hear you say that I am going to leave you again, no I do not want you to ever even think that again because the words will never leave my mouth ever."

He took his hand off my mouth and I said. "I am confused if you weren't intending to leave me why did you send everyone away." He placed both hands on the side of my face and closed his eyes. I felt the gentle push of Eric's mind pushing into mine. He was standing in the living room watching me dancing around and singing, he knew that tonight be our last night together if things do not go well with the witches tonight. Every movement of my body excited him and he did not want to wait until a maybe later. He wanted me now; he knew we had some time before they would be ready for us at Fangtasia. He had sent everyone away so that we could have some alone time together. I felt him smile and he slowly drew his mind from mine. "Oh." I said blushing I felt like an idiot. I looked down at the floor completely embarrassed for making such a spectacle.

"Do not be embarrassed my wife. I find that I am actually happy that you panicked so greatly for fear of losing me. But, I never want you to talk about that ever again. I am not going anywhere."

"It is just that you have been acting…"

He winked at me and cut me off saying. "Oddly, I know." He pulled me against him roughly. "You expect me to take charge and be strong. Having me fall apart with my own stupid fears is disconcerting to you."

I nodded. He leaned down and kissed me long and deep the longer we kissed the more urgent his kisses became. He slid his hands down my body and lifted me up only to set me on the counter next to us. He broke off the kiss and I almost protested but something in his eyes silenced my words. "You like it when I am in charge of you?" A whole slew of things to say flew through my head but I simply nodded at him.

He smiled and shook his head. "I forget what a woman used to be like, modern women hate it when you take charge and do what is best for them without talking the subject to death first. A women now wants to be treated as equal, at least that is what they all say out loud, but when you treat them that way they are unhappy and when I take the role of male protector like I should they are unhappy. I think they truly do not know their minds personally. Why do you want me to take charge my wife?"

I pushed my eyebrows together and said. "You are my husband and any decisions that you make I know will be made with all my best interests in my mind. I know that when it really matters you will talk to me and I know that if I am truly unhappy with a decision that you have made that you will listen to why I am unhappy and explain to me why you made the decision and then if I am still unhappy you will change whatever needs changing to make me happy. I trust your decision making and I enjoy you taking charge because then I do not have to worry as much and I have time to do other things."

He laughed and kissed my forehead lightly. "I think modern women would not agree with you. I think they would say you where acting like some suppressed house wife from the fifty's and that you need to take charge of your own life and become liberated." He said liberated like it was a filthy word.

"I am in charge of my own life though. You do not rule over me or order me around unless I want you to. I always have a choice of listening to you. Plus, I have my own power in the relationship. Why would enjoying your husband being a husband be suppression?" I asked.

"I do not understand it wife. It makes no sense to me. They say that they want to be liberated and yet they want their men to have good jobs and provide for them while they sit at home and take care of the children."

"How is that different? The wife raising the children and the husband providing, I do not see the difference. If they want to work can the not go out and work?"

"Yes, and sometimes they do and the husband stays home and raises the babies." I made a disgusted face and he laughed. "I know, I do not understand. I spent much time with our children but I would not be able to stay at home and do all the things a women does for them. The humans of this time are a ball of contradictions. They say they want one thing, I think because it is what they think they should say, and yet they get mad if you behave that way." He shook his head back and forth. "You do not think I am suppressing you?" he asked worriedly.

"Of course not! I do as you ask because it makes you happy and what makes you happy makes me happy. Besides I rather enjoy when you get all tough and manly with me."

He looked at me bemused. "What do you mean my wife, when you say you enjoy me being manly with you what do you mean?" he kissed my neck gently.

I closed my eyes trying to concentrate around his intoxicating kisses. He knew darn well what I meant but he wanted to hear me say it. "It makes me feel safe when you take charge; I know you would never let anything happen to me and that you will provide me with all that I need. You do this to show me just how much you love me." I tired deflecting so I would not have to embarrass myself.

"What else do you like about me taking charge?" He scraped his teeth softly over my pulse point and I moaned with pleasure for him. I threw my arms around his shoulders and was fully sinking into the welcome distraction of pleasure. He grabbed my hips roughly and squeezed. "What else do you like me being in charge of?"

The words spilled from my lips because I knew this is what he wanted and more than anything he wanted me to bend to his will and tell him. "I love it when you are soft at times, I love that you always seem to understand just when you need to be in charge and when to be attentive and sweet."

He pulled back from my neck and looked in my eyes. "And?" he gripped my hips a little harder moving me forward just an inch.

"I love when you take charge in bed; you make me feel like a woman should feel when she is making love." I tried to lean forward and kiss his chest but he held me in place, apparently he wasn't ready for that yet. I saw in his head yep he was going to torture me more.

"Explain." He said simply.

I blushed. "Eric, you know exactly what I enjoy why do you need me to express it?" I looked down at my thighs embarrassed.

He touched my chin gently and raised it so I would look at him. "Because I want to hear it and you know it. Tell me what I want to hear."

"I love everything about our love making even the times when you are gentle but when you are not gentle, when you are demanding and so taken with passion that you can't get to me fast enough. You being so ready to be with me that you have to tear my clothes off and throw me on the nearest surface to take me." I shivered with the memory of him doing that very thing on the table not three feet away from us. The very memory of the encounter made things low in my body tighten, I shivered again. "That excites me very much."

"More," he leaned forward and whispered into my ear. I was rewarded for doing as he said though because he started nuzzling my neck again and he released my hips to run his hands up and down my back pulling me tighter to him.

I started to lose myself in the moment and he went to pull away from. I placed one hand on his back to hold him in place and said. "I loved that you took utter control of me, you grabbed my braid and held me in place, you showed me exactly what you wanted to please you and in turned that pleased me. I loved that physically you can hold me in place and control my movements. I loved the force that you tore my clothes off with. I loved knowing that you are so strong that you can rip my clothes off but that you can restrain yourself enough not to smash me through the glass. I loved the excitement that you could smash me through the glass if you lost control for a single moment. I loved that you are so powerful you can bend me, mold me, like putty in your hands. You make me want to bend to your will because I know the rewards of doing so. I love that you can pick me up and fling me around like I am nothing more than a feather to you. It excites me greatly. I love that every time we make love it is different and still mind blowing all at the same time. You know exactly where to touch to make me spill forth for you."

He started biting my neck harder and I wiggled myself closer to him so that all of him was pressed firmly against all of me. "I love your long braid too, I love being able to grab it and hold you in place with it. I did not realize how much I missed long hair on a woman until I saw your braid." He twined his hand around my braid not pulling just holding and I shivered against him.

"You know …" I said breathily because my excitement was building to a fever pitch and it took serious concentration to say anything. "Ruby Anne told me I had to cut my hair short. I was afraid she was going to cut it off."

"Blasphemy." He said making his way to my collar bone. "You know, I do not remember you being so reserved about sex before."

He bit me gently I could feel him flicking at the spot he bit so I knew he drew just the tinniest bit of blood. I shrugged and said. "I do not remember before, I do not even remember having sex before the first time we made love here."

"Really?" he said and I could feel him smile against my skin. "Well I have a wonderful memory I will have to see what I can do to refresh yours." He slowly started slid the zipper of my dress down in the back and began to kiss my skin with more vigor and force I could feel myself being swept away by the pleasure of it. Suddenly I could feel him in my head reliving the first time we where ever together. Not the other day together but the very first time when we were both still human. We flowed through the memory wrapped in each other's arms and every kiss and touch he imitated in reality. When we finally had our release both in reality and in the memory I felt him slowly pull back his memories.

I looked around and expected to find us in our little cabin far away and found us on the floor wrapped in each other's arms. Tears slid down my face with the beauty of the moment from the past and the great release we had just had together in the present. He kissed my tears away and said. "Aude, my wife, why are you crying?"

"That was beautiful and it was something only you could have given me. You gave me back a piece of myself." He smiled and kissed me lightly.

"I have much much more to share too." He kissed my nose just the barest brush of lips. "I would much prefer to just lay here with you, making love and sharing every memory I remember of our time together but we have to go."

"I know." I sighed. "Besides if everything works out the way we want it to, we will have the rest of eternity to have amazing sex and remember who I used to be."

He stood swiftly and helped me to my feet. I grabbed my clothes to get dressed but he snatched them from my hands. I thought maybe he was going to delay us a little longer with round two of love making but to my surprise he was holding the dress out to help me into it. I let him help me slide the dress over my body and slowly zip me up. There was something extremely exciting about him helping me into my clothes. It made me want to rip all of my clothes off again and throw him down on the floor, barbarian style. When he was done adjusting every bit of the dress making sure my panties where in just the right place, I was trembling with excitement. He smiled at me and laughed that low manly laugh that says clearly I know you want me.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

We arrived at Fangtasia and I was surprised to see that the club was shut down completely all of the neon's where shut off and the lights that normally light the parking lot where dark as well. "Eric, why did you shut down the club?" I asked confused as we moved through the employee parking lot towards the back door.

"I thought it better to have it shut down while we had Mark and Hallow inside. If something happened and they escaped with humans inside it would be very bad." He pulled the door open and I went inside. The lights inside the club were just barely on someone had turned them down so far that just the faintest of glows illuminated the room. The bar looked so odd empty, the few times I had been in here it been packed wall to wall with people. I felt Eric slid his hand into mine. I jumped just a little. Edgy, me, never.

"It will be okay Aude, I will not let them harm you, I promise."

"I know." But my voice did not come out like it was sure. He squeezed my hand gently and led me towards the back of the club. He pushed a little panel on the wall and a hidden door swung open reveling a wooden stairway leading down. I froze in place, flashes of the last basement with a wooden stairs running through my head.

"You can do this wife. Do not let your fear overcome you."

"Eric, right now I have every bad thing they ever did to me running through my head and it was all done in a basement. I am scared as hell that they are going to be waiting down there for me to rape and torture me again. I do not know if I can do this."

"If there was any way I could spare you this I would." He said gently. "If there was any way that your witch could lift the spells without you being there I would have her do that. But she says you have to be there in order for them to lift the spells from you. I am sorry but you have to go down those stairs."

"I know." I sighed and slowly my way down the stairs. My heart was thundering in my ears I could hear it loud and ragged screaming at me that this was not a good idea. I finally reached the bottom of the stairs after what felt like an hour and I looked around the room slowly taking in the surroundings. I almost went running back up the stairs when I saw the hooded figures drawing designs in red powdery dust on the floor. I stepped backwards and Eric was right behind me a gigantic wall of muscle blocking my exit. I turned and tried to push him out of my way and he just took me in his arms and held me tight to his chest.

"Sshhh, I know it is okay." He whispered into my hair. "Is it necessary to do the beginning spell work with the hoods up?" he asked to the room in general. No one said a word.

I felt Quinn approach us, he was so close when he spoke that I jumped. "What's wrong?" he asked concerned. He was speaking quietly I guessed he was trying to not break the covens concentration with the conversation.

"She is flashing back; the basement and the hooded witches are making her very scared."

"Take her through to the back; Pam and Ruby Anne are going over the game plan." Quinn said.

"I do not think she can make it past them without having a full out panic attack." Eric hissed at Quinn.

Just then I heard the witches start to chant, the rational part of my brain told me that they were just putting up protection spells so that Mark and Hallow could not escape but I was not thinking very rationally at the moment. I began to hit and shove at Eric trying to escape back up the stairs. He just gripped me tighter and my panic increased exponentially. I started to scream at him, nothing really coherent but the situation was quickly deteriorating. Eric tried to lift me in his arms and I fought him there too tooth and nail. I dropped my body weight he was not expecting it and I fell to the floor; I scrambled away from him trying to get up the stairs.

I felt large hands grab me from behind and I screamed. I felt the grasp falter for a moment and I kicked backwards and felt it connect with a leg. I crawled towards the stairs, I managed to get up two steps before the hands that had grabbed me before grabbed me again and before I knew it I was flying through the air up and over. I landed on a hard shoulder that I didn't recognize and I was staring down at a rear that I had never seen before. I screamed again and started to hit at the back. I felt a slap on my ass, it stunned me into silence. "Knock it off Aude you are safe." I realized it was Quinn that had me thrown over his shoulder so unceremonially. Before I could freak out or object he had moved across the room quickly and deposited me in another room tucked away from the huge space we had just exited. He dumped me in a chair, turned on his heel and walked out. I sat there shaking for a long moment, Eric came through the door way and knelt in front of me. I buried my face in his shoulder and cried.

"I don't know if she can do this." He said to someone else that was in the room.

"She has no choice." I jumped a little with startlement but recognized the voice after I forced myself to think about it. It was Ruby Anne and she was close by.

"Sshh, it's okay wife, I promise everything is going to be all right." Eric hushed into my hair. I knew with my rational brain that he was right, he would never let anything happen to me but I just was not doing a good job at getting my irrational brain to listen to the rational.

"Leave us, go help them prepare, I will help her calm down and she will be ready for them when it is time." Pam said.

I had begun to shudder against Eric and he ran his hands up and down my body trying to warm me. "I am not leaving her." He said stubbornly.

"She will be fine and if you give us time I promise she will be much calmer by the time I am done. Go Eric, there is things that Ruby Anne needs your help with specifically in the set up."

I felt there wills pushing against each other's but finally Pam won out when Ruby Anne said. "I do need you to help me with the set up of one of the spells Eric and it is one of the most important."

"I will be right outside, if you need all you have to do is speak my name and I will be here." He kissed my hair and gently pulled away from me. I tried to cling to him but he forcefully pulled away from me and walked out of the room. I drew my knees to my chest and wrapped myself around them.

"You to Bill, go she will be fine, we just need a little girl time."

I could feel him in my head wanting to object but he just turned and walked out. I could hear his dress shoes clacking on the hard stone floor as he left. Pam touched my calf lightly she must have moved in front of me. "Aude, I know you're scared but I need you to look at me. There is no one else here, no hooded figures, no spells, no men, just us in a little office. Look for yourself." I shook my head back and forth. She sighed. "Okay, tell you what look through my eyes. I know you can do it. Reach through me and look around." I let my power slide into her and I saw myself huddled into the chair shaking like a leaf. "Good girl, now look." She slowly turned her head left and right and she was right, we were in a small cream colored office, it was quite nice compared to the grey oppressing room that lay just beyond the door to my left. Pam must have picked up on some of my apprehension because without looking she gently pushed the door closed on the room beyond and pulled down a little rolling shade the coved the widow that sat in the door.

I pulled out of Pam's head and looked around with my own eyes, the room looked exactly how I had seen it through Pam's eyes and I sighed with relief.

"Better?" she asked. I nodded at her she turned slightly and grabbed a small cup that was sitting on a large wooden desk beside her. It was a delicate little thing trimmed in gold with little delicate blue roses scattered here in there throughout. She poured some hot liquid into the cup. "Drink it." She handed me the cup and it rattled slightly on the little matching saucer. I sipped at the hot liquid and found it was delicious there was a hint of warm cinnamon and maybe a little star of anise and just the slightest hint of ginger.

I looked up at her surprised. "What is this?"

"Do you like it? I hear that it is quite good." She sighed deeply I could tell she was trying to breath in the smell of the delicious liquid that was permeating the small room with its warm smell. "That is one thing that I do miss about being human." She laughed. "I miss tea; we would drink tea at every occasion and opportunity. I have been told that humans find this particular blend to be quite soothing."

I took another large sip of the creamy colored liquid. "It is, what is it called?"

"Oh," she giggled honest to the gods giggled. "Chiai I think, it has all kinds of good warm spices in it. I am told that I make a killer cup of tea." She laughed at her joke and I could not help but join her. I drank down the last swallow and handed her back the cup.

"Thank you." I said.

She slid into the chair that sat next to the desk. "Better?"

"Yes, much."

"Good, now pull yourself together and knock it the hell off."

I was shocked at the sudden change in attitude and my mouth fell open. "What?" I asked.

She held up one pale petite hand to me and said. "Now I know that you have been through a lot, I know that these people did terrible things to you and I know that being down here in a similar area is disconcerting but you need to knock it off. You are not in that basement, they can only hurt you here if you give them permission to and if you are falling apart we will all be too distracted making sure you are alright to do what needs to be done tonight. I will not allow you to fall apart and possibly cost one of us our lives because you couldn't hold it together long enough for us to get our work done. The other humans are already on edge because they know that what is going to happen here will possibly involve torture. I need you to be strong for all of us but especially for Eric. He needs you to be strong most of all. He needs to be ruthless right now not soft and attentive. He cannot do this if you cannot handle just being down here let alone what will happen when you actually are in the same room with Mark and Hallow. Can you do this because if you can't we might as well send everyone home now? I will not let you cost anyone here their lives because you couldn't get your shit together. I know there is a fierce warrior woman within you. You can't have come from where you did not to be a warrior."

"But I can't remember any of that. I do not remember being a fierce powerful warrior. My first memories are of them torturing and raping me." I said angrily.

Pam smiled at me. "It is there. Just because you can't remember it doesn't mean it's not there. You wanted to slap the hell out of me for talking to you the way I just did. I can see it in your eyes. You are not all demure and sweet, that is something Ruby Anne made you into because she found you with no memories. I know you have the womanly demure side otherwise Eric wouldn't love you but I also know that you have to have a ruthless streak a mile long or again he wouldn't love you. Get angry instead of scared. Anger can be used as a tool, it is a strength but when you are afraid it will only get you killed. Think about why you said what you did earlier to Mark in your dream. You knew it would be stupid to torment them but you wanted to see the fear flash through their eyes. You wanted to see them suffer for everything they did to you. Even if you knew it was not going to be you that was going to deliver the blows you wanted them to be scared of you. You have it in you Aude. Be ruthless. Can you do this?"

I nodded at her. "Yes." I said stiffly.

"Are you sure?" she asked again and I was angry with her. Something in my eyes must have spoken volumes to her because she said. "Good girl." She smiled smugly. She stood and took my hand pulling me to my feet and turned towards the door to lead me out.

"Wait, Pam." She hesitated and turned back to me thinking I needed another pep talk. "No I am ready to face them." I said answering her inner debate. "I need you to do me a favor."

She raised an eyebrow at me. "If I have it in my power I will grant it."

"If I die you have to promise me that you will keep Eric from meeting the sun."

"He wouldn't." she hissed.

"Yes, he would, he told me that he would. I do not understand why, I understand that he loves me. I do not understand all the reasons because again the no memory thing gets in my way. I know we have a deep connection that I cannot explain. I would probably want to do the same if I lost him." I shrugged. "But just like him I do not want that for him. I know he wouldn't want me to go throw myself off a bridge just because he died. I do not want him meeting the sun just because I died. You have to stop him if it comes to that."

"How am I supposed to stop him?" she asked incredulously.

"I do not know; enlist Quinn and William's help. I suppose but he will want to bury me in a tomb or maybe burn me to send my ashes back to Valhalla I am not sure but whatever he chooses to do he will try and slip off during the ceremony as soon as I am laid to rest. He will slip away and find some quite peaceful lake somewhere and watch the sun come up. I do not care what you have to do you just have to help him get through his grieving period and move on. Can I count on you for this?"

"Yes, I swear I will not let him meet the sun. Even if I have to watch over him every minute for the next thousand years."

"Good." I said and she turned back to the door. "Wait, one more thing Pam."

She sighed heavily, "Yes?"

"What do you think of William?"

She was clearly taken aback by my question but to give her credit she actually thought about it before she said. "I do not know I have never really thought much of him. I guess it also depends on what you mean."

I smiled at her. "He is very fond of you, just a little food for thought. Now let's go deal with Mark and Hallow." I winked at her.

"Oh yesss, lets."

We turned and walked back out into the big chasm of a basement that I would face Mark and Hallow face to face for the first time in reality for a year. I pulled on my ruthlessness like an old comfortable pair of sweats. I found they fit well and I was looking forward to seeing the fear in their eyes as they realized what was going to happen to them.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

I strode confidently into the room and went directly to Eric's side. He slid his hand into mine and looked down at me. He noticed the change in my attitude and he smiled. "I knew she was in there somewhere." He whispered.

I nodded in acknowledgement. "Let's raise some witches." I took in the room for the first time as I looked around to find Ruby Anne. There was two chairs set in the middle of the room silver chains hung from the chairs limply, waiting patiently to bind the two that were about to be summoned. In a huge circle surrounding the chairs was a verity of red markings on the floor. Those must be the binding spells. "Won't the silver harm the vampires, and Quinn?" I asked my eyes falling on Ruby Anne.

"No," Eric said. "they are not really silver, they are stainless steel but they are enchanted somehow so that the witches will think they are silver. It is quite a clever bit of magic actually." He nodded at Ruby Anne.

"Are we ready?" Ruby Anne said to everyone, they all nodded in turn. I noticed Quinn, Bill, and Pam hovering just at the edges of the circle there bodies quivering with the excitement of possibilities stretching out before them. My attention was drawn back to Ruby Anne as she said. "Good, then let us begin." She nodded at the hooded figures that stood just at the edges of everything. They formed a kind of second circle surrounding the inner circle of Me, Eric, Pam, Bill, Quinn and Ruby Anne. They began a low chant that was buzzing around quietly. You could not make out what they were saying but I could feel the power rising in the room.

Ruby Anne's clear voice rose above the gentle buzz and said. "I call you forth Mark Stonebrook come and join us here. I call you forth Marnie Stonebrook come and join us here. I command you to come forward and in time and space and join us. I command you to come and do my bidding." The air in the chairs waved and blurred and with a little pop Mark and Hallow were sitting slumped forward in the chairs in front of us. I heard a low hiss escape from Eric's lips and I squeezed his hand. Ruby Anne nodded at them and the chains wrapped around them. The moment the chains wrapped around them both of their heads snapped up in unison and they screamed.

For a long time I thought the screaming would never stop. I knew exactly what they were enduring and I couldn't find myself feeling any sympathy for them. "Hurts doesn't it you bastards." I screamed at them. "It fucking hurts being pulled through time and ripped out of paradise."

"Some how I doubt they were in paradise love." Eric said.

The Stonebrook's looked around the room taking each of us in one by one; I felt a small smile creep across my face as Hallow's eyes reached Pam she blanched slightly. To my great satisfaction Pam gave her a small wave and smiled cheerfully at her greeting her. I noticed that Pam's fangs where fully extended. I looked over at Bill and then at Eric and found that they too had their fangs out and ready. Quinn's hands were trembling and blurring slightly at the edges he was ready to spring into action.

Hallow and Mark looked at each other for a moment and began to chant. We all just stood and let them do it. They went through it once twice three times and nothing happened. I could see the panic building between them now. "You have no magic here." Ruby Anne said. "I bound your powers before I crossed you, oh and you can't shift either. You don't have to take my word for it but you can't."

Mark and Hallow closed their eyes and you could see that they were trying to shift. Their eyes flew open and they had identical looks of shock and real fear on their faces. "Did you really think you would get away with it?" Eric snarled at them.

I raised my hand in a stop motion and Eric surprisingly fell silent. "Can I step in the circle?" I asked Ruby Anne.

"Yes and they cannot touch you while you are in it. It's a cleaver little spell, they can do no harm of any kind to anyone in this room and under my protection."

Hallow looked at Ruby Anne and said. "You die first then Bitch."

"Oh Marnie," I said pulling her attention to me. "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to count your chickens before they hatch?" I dropped Eric's hand and stepped into the circle. I felt a slight tingle of the magic wash over me as I stepped over but I just ignored it.

"Who the fuck are you bitch? Why have you and Eric called me and my brother here? I gave that one," she said nodding at Pam. "everything before she ripped my throat out. It is not my fault if he doesn't have his memory back because of your incompetence."

I knelt in front of her and tilted my head at her slightly. "Do you not recognize me Hallow?" I said serenely. She squinted her eyes at me and shook her head. I turned to Mark and said. "Perhaps you will recognize me, we spent more time together." Mark stared at me for a long time and I saw the moment that it clicked in his head and realization crossed his face.

"Shit." He said simply. He looked panicked over at his sister's face and looked back at me. I supposed they must be able to communicate without words because realization slipped onto her face and she wore an identical expression of fear and panic.

I laughed a full throaty laugh. "Did you know that I was Eric's wife?" I asked flippantly. "Did you know that I had never even seen him in his vampire form until I reunited with him? I was his human wife before he was even turned you see." I leaned closer to them and they both leaned away from me. I smiled at them again. "Did you know that my husband and I are very upset for everything you have done to us? We have many things to repay you for."

"What do you want from us?" Hallow asked. I stood and walked around them so that they couldn't see me. I ran my fingers gently through there black hair simultaneously. They both jumped at my touch.

"What's wrong?" I said soothingly. "I thought you two liked to play." I laughed. "It's funny I seem to remember that you both loved to play rough." I laughed again. "Or maybe you only like to play when you are raping and torturing poor defenseless women whose only crime is loving a man who thought she was dead for over a thousand years." I circled around to the front of them and knelt again.

"The curse activated." Hallow said.

"Oh yes." I said smiling at her.

"You look fine." Mark said surprised. "I can see it has been at least four days sense it activated. "You should be writhing on the floor in pain by now."

Hallow shoot him a sharp look. "You took our powers we cannot remove it without them."

"Oh I took care of that too." I said simply picking Ruby Anne's thoughts at that moment. "Ruby Anne will act as a channel to remove it. Let me make something very clear to you though. After all that you have done a quick assent back into hell or wherever you were is the least you can hope for if I can contain my husband." I leaned forward. "You see he has big plans for the two of you. It is only by my good graces that you are not currently being ripped to shreds by my husband and our friends. I know that you understand what Pam can do to you but you have no idea what the other's are capable of. You think Pam was bad you haven't seen anything yet. And we won't have to bring you back over and over again because we broke your poor little bodies to the point of no return."

"What do you mean?" Mark stammered.

I turned my attention to him and he flinched. "I mean there are three vampires in this room who are very hungry and all of them have a very personal vendetta against you and I have convinced them that the most effective means of torturing you is to turn you into one of them so that we can prolong your torture indefinitely." I was satisfied to see him blanch at this. "That means that we could keep you alive forever wrapped in pain and misery one thousand folds worse than you ever met out to me." I leaned forward and touched his knee and he squealed just a little in fear. I laughed again. "I know Pam was so disappointed that she did not get an opportunity to spend any time with you before. She is so looking forward to getting to know you better." I winked at him.

I wriggled a finger at him to lean closer to me and surprisingly he did. "And don't think for one moment that just because you're a man that you won't have to suffer the indignity of being raped like I was. My Pam is extremely creative with these things and I am sure that once she tires of your entertainment she can find others who would be more than willing to aid her in such things."

Mark looked up at Pam and then back to me and said. "Please, have mercy I beg you. I know that you are a kind woman. I can see it."

"See," I stood and brushed my dress smooth. "that is where you are wrong. I was a kind woman and then I was pulled out of Valhalla, to be used against the only man I ever loved, I was raped tortured and killed three times over the series of two weeks. If the roles were reversed would you have mercy on me?" Mark opened his mouth and I just held up a hand to stop him. "Oh no Mark, you cannot say that you would because you already had that opportunity. You enjoyed every second of what you did to me. The more I screamed the more you enjoyed it. I have no mercy in my heart for you or your sister.

"Let me be frank with the two of you. This is a onetime offer and I highly suggest that the two of you take it. You will remove the curse from me because regardless of whether you remove it or not you are going to die, you know this right?" I asked and they both nodded at me. "Good, so you remove the curse, the only reason we raised you both is because it takes the both of you to do it. Then after that is done if I am feeling extremely kind, you will both die relatively quickly." I shrugged.

Mark just had to ask. "What do you mean by that relatively quickly?"

"Do you fear your death? Do you not want to die all of the sudden? Mark you are dead, you are just temporarily passing through."

"No," he said roughly almost rudely Hallow shoot him another sharp look and he cleared his throat his attitude in check. "I meant what exactly does relatively quickly mean?"

"Oh you mean the exact means of your passage from this world?" I said smiling at him as if we were old friends just catching up and sharing recipes.

"Yes." He said quietly.

"I am not really sure. I have not quite decided, I think Eric said something about ripping you apart limb from limb and then feeding you each other's hearts as you bleed to death." I looked back at Eric.

"Oh yessss." He said delighted.

"Of course the quick way should not worry you it is the long way that you should worry about. And the long way has many more possibilities and it is all dependent on my patience and I can tell you that it is wearing thin. If you flat refuse to remove it I will turn you over to become a vampire in for eternal torture. Or if you are helpful but you PISS ME THE FUCK OFF, I will torture you myself until my last FUCKING BREATH. And believe me I had the best teachers, after all you gave me a very thorough education."

I took a deep breath, "Now, are you going to help or not and tick tock because this offer expires in about five seconds."

Hallow spoke. "We will help but I have one condition."

"And that would be?" I said icily.

"Pam is not in for my kill or my brothers." Hallow said shakily.

"Oh poo." Pam said crossing her arms and stamping her foot. "And I was sooo looking foreward to all the fun we could have together again Marnie dear." We all laughed, well when I say we I mean Eric, Quinn, Bill and I.

"Done." I laughed.

"You rob me of all my fun Aude."

I shrugged looked over my shoulder and winked at Pam. "Next time, you can at least watch."

"Goodie." She beamed and clapped her hands together.

"Satisfied." I said looking at Hallow.

She gulped. "I suppose it is the best I am going to get. Let's just get this over with so I can go back to hell please."

"Well I am not satisfied by any means." Mark said.

Without a word Eric was at his side very close to his face snarling at him. "You are lucky that you are promised such a quick death Mark. If it were up to me and not my gentle wife no matter if you helped her or not I would not make your death a so quick and relatively pain free." Eric leaned further into him and Mark actually leaned backwards bending his head at a painful angle over the back of the chair. "I saw what you did to her first hand. She showed me every little injury you did to her. And if you don't shut your mouth regardless of the terms your sister negotiated for herself I will have fun with you." He snapped at his face once and Mark screamed. "Understand?"

"Yes yes yes." Mark stammered and just like that Eric was gone and on the other side of the circle.

I waved for Ruby Anne to come forward and she stepped behind Mark and Hallow and placed a hand on the top of each of their heads. Hallow said. "She has to touch us both too, or it won't work. She has to complete the circuit."

I stepped forward and grabbed each of their hands in turn. I could feel Eric's anger flash temporarily at the sight of them touching me but he quelled it quickly. Thank the gods for small miracles.

The three witches closed their eyes and I could feel the magic building between them. "Marniee and Mark do you release this woman from the curse that you have placed upon her?" Ruby Anne said.

"Yes, we release you Aude, from the curse we have placed upon your soul. We take back the scars we have inlaid within you with magic and blood." The Stonebrooks said simultaneously.

I felt the magic build and build and finally it exploded down their arms and into me. It felt like bombs going off inside me and every single torture they did to me, every memory they stripped away from me, everything they had done exploded inside my head simultaneously. Image after image screamed across the inside of my head. The magic found every place they had touched and sucked it away. I felt a great weight lift from inside me that I hadn't even known was there. I screamed in pain and relief and collapsed.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

My eyes fluttered open and I was staring up into Eric's concerned blue eyes. "Hey." I said weakly at him and smiled. "Did it work?"

"Yes." He said and ran a cool hand along the side of my face. "Ruby Anne assured me that every blight they had placed on you is gone."

"That's good." I said smiling at him. "Help me sit up." I was still in the basement but it was mostly empty. All the humans were gone and the only other person that was still with us was Pam. I noticed that Eric was splattered in blood and gore. My eyes went to the spot the Stonebrook's had sat and there wasn't much left. "Hallow and Mark?" I asked.

"Hallow died a glorious death. As soon as Ruby Anne had confirmed that the spell had worked we ripped her apart limb from limb and fed her, her own heart while she bleed to death. It was glorious I wish you would have been awake to see it." Eric hesitated.

"What, something went wrong?" I asked

"Yes," he said solemnly. "Mark got a hold of the ritual knife and slit Ruby Anne's throat. We had sent all the other humans away so they wouldn't have to witness anything unsavory. Mark surprised us all. He managed to escape using Ruby Anne as a shield most of the way out of the building. We still cannot figure out how he managed it."

"Is he, did he escape? Is he out there?" I asked my voice trembling.

"Yes." Eric said disgusted. "But Quinn and Bill will find him he can't run forever. They will find him soon.

"Eric, this is not good." I began to cry. "He will come back for me I just know it."

"Don't worry my wife; he will never come near you again. Even if he does somehow manage to elude the others, if he ever comes near us again I will slaughter him and this time it will be no quick and efficient death like we dealt to his sister. Come let's go home and take a nice long hot bath." He scooped me up into his arms like I was a child. He paused briefly at the bottom of the stairs. "Pam deal with this mess please?" it was both order and question all in one.

"Of course master." She said. "It would be my pleasure." Eric nodded at her and walked out of the club.

Eric took me home and did exactly what he had said; we took a nice long hot bath together relaxing and simply enjoying each other's company. For the first time we were able to fully relax lifted from the weight of the Stonebrook's terrible curse. We both saw eternity stretching out into infinity in front of us. We would deal with Mark if and when he ever was stupid enough to cross our path again.

The next night Eric crossed me over to the vampire side of life, and that is going to take some getting used to. Sookie thinks Eric is away in Vegas but she keeps bumping into Quinn magically at every turn, even though Eric is away she keeps getting summoned to all these "official" vampire duties she has to perform. I think that she is well on her way to being right back on track with the life she should have had if Eric had not stuck his big Viking foot in and meddled with things. Quinn assures me that they are at least talking now and slowly rebuilding their friendship. As for Pam and Bill well, they spend a lot of time with Eric and I at our home but I think they are slowly warming up to each other maybe someday soon they too will have a blooming relationship. For now I would just be content that we have relative peace and happiness. I mean honestly what is the worse that could happen. I have my husband back, my memories were returned to me the night the curse was lifted and I get to spend the rest of eternity with my soul mate. What more could a girl ask for?

Oh yeah, and my little ability that I acquired seems to have come with me when I made the cross over from human to vampire. Eric is baffled and we do not really know who to turn to for answers on that one. If only Ruby Anne was still with us, I would ask her. But this is a problem for another day. For the moment my world is perfect and I am happy.

Fin

Authors Notes: First I would like to say thank you to everyone who has been following my tale. I am planning on doing a follow up which I am just getting ready to work on. I finally got a good idea for the next story in Aude's world. Standard disclaimer here I do not own the characters of Aude, Sookie, Quinn, Bill, Pam, and finally my Eric. Although I would like to say that the story itself is completely original and all mine. I will never seek to publish for any profit and I fully enjoyed playing with all of them and will enjoy it more in the future, hopefully. Finally please everyone let me know what you thought of my story; good or bad, feedback is always a good thing and would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading have a good day. Another small note, I was made aware that I accidently posted the same chapter twice so if any of you re-read everything and make it this far thanks for the patience and I apologize. I am currently working on a bit of Eric Sookie fluff called the dance and then I am going to start the follow up for this story called Life after Death. Keep an eye out and as always please review. Thanks.

Lilliana Dearing


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